


Little Artist Academia

by peachyparu



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Coming Out, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Horrible Gen Z Humour, Internalized Homophobia, Rivals to Lovers, Romance, Slow Burn, This fic is basically my life on crack, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2020-02-09 14:13:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18639730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachyparu/pseuds/peachyparu
Summary: Atsuko Kagari never expected her works were good enough for art school. That is, until Luna Nova Academy, a prestigious school of the arts in Toronto, invites her to enroll for her junior year in high school. Starting all over in a new school was nerve-racking enough, it didn't help that she had to travel across the ocean away from home to do so.Although, there were some benefits to it. She didn't exactly have to hide her yuri manga anymore. Nor worry about Okaa-san complaining about the paint fumes in the house. And, well, it wasn't exactly a bad thing that Diana Cavendish had sketches of her all over her sketchbook.Accurate and realistic ones, nonetheless. Most drawn without a reference. Man, she really is such a show off.





	1. Prologue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been working on this for a while now, I have enough plans and arcs to lead me to at least 30 chapters at the moment, but I’m horrible at execution aaaa. For one, I’m not that much of a writer? Some of you recognize me as the artist PeachyParu with that horrible cryptid hunter au?? Essentially, this art school au branched off from that since I attempted to write a cryptid au fic but… I can’t write fight scenes or express my love for cryptids in,,, writing if my life depended on it. So I’d appreciate if anyone passionate in writing was interested in checking out my arc and chapter ideas and was willing to help me out! 
> 
> This AU and fic is mostly a way for me to vent out some… personal issues and experiences which will be incorporated in some characters, so i sincerely apologize if I’m horrible at keeping the characters true to their canon selves. Please read with the full expectation that there will be offensive or triggering topics in future chapters. I’ll… make the warning in caps rn gkdkf
> 
> WARNING: FUTURE CHAPTERS MAY INVOLVE  
> -Homophobia/Biphobia  
> -Self Harm Implications  
> -Racism  
> -Sexual Content  
> -Lots of Swearing
> 
> Special thanks to GayStuffe13 and RaZGriZx86 for fixing some errors!!

 

Saturday, September 1st, 2018

2 Days Before the Start of the First Semester of Junior Year

9:02 AM EST

Akko

_________________

 Fumbling with a brochure in her hands and pretending to read through it as she passed by teenagers her age, Akko found it extremely hard to believe she was a student of Luna Nova Arts Academy. Well, at least she was going to be in a week. She had just gotten off her taxi after arriving in Toronto Pearson International Airport from Japan, ecstatic over the start of her new life in Canada.

 Naturally, she’d be beaming at the sight of kids her age sharing her interests and greeting everyone she assumed was enrolled, until she realized most of them were probably a hundred times more talented than she could ever be, with Luna Nova being Canada’s top art academy and all.

 But then again, did it matter if her skills weren’t as developed as all the other third years? Or if she was enrolled two years late? Sure, a bunch of her classmates may be more experienced than Akko, but she was determined to keep her head up and follow her idol, Shiny Chariot. She prided herself on that very fact, and, clutching the brochure in her hands tightly, held her head high.

 She had already managed to frustrate another transfer student with pale skin and pink hair

 … _a pastel goth?_ Akko silently questioned.

 While picking up her student package, the Japanese artist couldn’t help but notice the pink haired girl registering in the same grade as well. After all, most of the kids at the student information area in the atrium of the huge building were freshmen. Naturally, Akko introduced herself to the girl, only to be ignored. But that didn’t stop the enthusiastic artist, especially since she was too oblivious to notice the quiet curses the other student occasionally let out as Akko followed her through the halls.

 “Anyways, I figured it’d be extremely cold or that I’d fly in through a blizzard or something, considering all the rumours my classmates back in Japan told me! I even checked the weather before my flight, but didn’t think to trust it, since, y’know the internet can be shady sometimes-“ Akko rambled on to the pale-skinned girl she walked alongside with, who, from _literally anyone else’s perspective_ , looks like she would rather pour cyanide on her eyes instead of, well, having some crackhead follow her.

 The pastel goth, according to Akko, stopped walking and slowly turned to the blabbering girl.

 “And that’s why I’m wearing like, 3 layers”, Akko pushed her brochure into a pocket to raise her hand as she counted with her fingers, “my bomber jacket, my hoodie, and my baseball tee. But I had no idea Summers in Canada were _actual_ summers! Who knew! Awh man I’m sweating.” Akko beamed at the otherwise uninterested girl.

 After a moment of silence, Akko realized they had stopped in the middle of the halls.

 “Hey, why’d we stop?”

 The pink haired girl looked at her dead in the eyes with a neutral expression. “Fuck off.” She deadpanned, before walking the opposite direction of where she was originally headed.

 “Oh...yikes, okay, see you later!” Akko called out to her before whipping out her information sheet from her pocket and skimming through its contents.

  _Hmm, I guess that’s the last I’ll see of that emo kid,_ she shrugged, and stifled a laugh at the event that just occurred, before making her way to the dormitories. 

* * *

Swinging open the door to her dorm, Akko realized she wasn’t the first to arrive when she heard a yelp from the corner of the room. The source of the squeak sat up from the top bunk on the side and peaked towards the door.

“I’m so sorry if I surprised you!” Akko hesitantly stepped inside, with her suitcase and set it aside.

“I guess we’re roommates… I’m Atsuko Kagari, but everyone calls me Akko!” She smiled at the girl, who’d been hanging up posters on the wall before she had burst in.

Her roommate finished placing the last piece of tape on a nightfall poster before turning from her position and letting her legs swing from the top bunk and Akko finally had a good look at her appearance. She adjusted her round glasses, “I-I’m Lotte”, she offered a gentle smile to the Japanese artist. “You’re one of the new transfer students right? She glanced over to Akko’s backpack with a bag of brushes sticking out of it.

“I assume you’re in the visual arts program?”

Akko slipped herself out of her bag and set it to the side. “Yep, and you?”

 “Vocal.” Lotte hopped down from the bunk and gestured towards the keyboard in the right corner of the room on top of a desk and the guitar case. “I’m sorry if they’re taking up too much space…” The ginger nervously fiddled with her thumbs as she glanced to the side.

 “It’s no problem to me! Besides, you’d have to deal with my mess and paint fumes.” Akko observed the room as she unzipped her luggage. It was larger than she expected, maybe twice the size of a regular dorm. But then again, Luna Nova _is_ a prestigious arts academy. And she’d assume most kids in the art program would require more space to work on projects when the building’s studios close up after curfew.

 To the left was the bunk bed with a wall decorated by Lotte in a Nightfall theme, and on the right was a loft bed with an empty desk. Straight ahead were two desks in each corner with a cork board above each one and a large window between them. The artist assumed the ginger had already claimed the right corner as her area considering there was a desktop already set up and a guitar case beside it. Akko removed her easel from her luggage, and began to set it up at the left corner. She felt at ease knowing her new home for a considerable while was larger than her and her parents’ room combined. However, she couldn’t help but notice the lack of personal items.

“It...seems really empty here.” Akko looked back to the ginger as she crouched to adjust the easel’s stands, “I heard there’s usually 3 people per dorm. Your other roommate not a big fan of decorating or something?”

“Well…”

 The Japanese artist watched as Lotte nervously looked towards the side and adjusted her glasses. She figured she was enrolled in freshman year, and considering all students live with the same people all four years unless a switch was requested, the timid girl should have had at least another person to dorm with.

 “My first roommate transferred out halfway through tenth grade, and the other got expelled at the end of that year…so it’s just me…”, she suppressed a weak laugh, “Well, until you came along? And possibly another transfer student?”

 Akko hummed as she finished up with her easel and smiled at the timid girl.

“I’m sure we’ll have a great time together! When do you think the other roomie will arrive?”

As though on cue, the door slowly creaked open, revealing the pink-haired student from earlier. She glanced at Akko, then to Lotte, and back to Akko.

 “Oh...you again”, she studied Akko, then deadpanned, “What the fuck.”

* * *

Despite the obvious negativity the other girl radiated, the Japanese girl didn’t mind and set aside her…moodiness? She found it humorous, even if she did act bitchy. _Just another misunderstand pastel goth_ , Akko concluded with a giggle as she finished setting her copic markers, prismacolors and her art tablet attached to her laptop on her desk. Lotte had helped the two unpack and organize their stuff. At first, the Japanese artist assumed Sucy, their pink-haired roommate, was also in the visual arts program with her since she came across masks, goggles and containers with substances she _thought_ was paint. She nearly opened it up, completely oblivious of the toxic and corrosive symbols it _clearly_ displayed. Sucy immediately took it back into her grasp and gave her a stern warning over touching her materials, the result of her would be herself being _used as a guinea pig for her projects._

 Once the three finished organizing their stuff and putting their clothes in their own respective drawers and closets, Akko then began to tape posters, polaroids and other sheets onto her corkboard as she talked the two. She learned a lot about her roommates in the past hour. Lotte’s from Finland but her family had been living in Toronto ever since she was little, and Sucy’s from the Philippines. It turns out Sucy didn’t apply to any of the art programs, but she was in the Advanced Placement program for Chemistry. _Holy shit, not only is she in AP but she’s in the grade 12 AP class too._

 “So...you’re not interested in any of the arts?” Akko carefully stuck a thumbtack of one of her sketches onto the corkboard.

Sucy, now seated at her desk, scoffed as she stirred a substance in its container, “I’d rather die than audition in front of some crusty adults.” 

Lotte adjusted her glasses. “Wow, I’ve heard how difficult it is to get into the AP programs, let alone a grade 12 one…Y-You must be pretty smart…”

Sucy’s only response was to shrug as she proceeded to take containers out of a luggage.

The timid girl cleared her throat, “Anyways, when are you two going on your tour? I heard that transfer students have a separated one from the freshmen…”

Akko fumbled with the piece of tape sticking on her fingers, “I… have no idea. Maybe in an hour?” She didn’t bother to check the time.

Sucy took a moment from her substances to squint at the Japanese girl. “You didn’t even try to see what time it is. And I already went on mine an hour ag-why are you taping it when there’s literally hundreds of thumbtacks over there.”

 “I… don’t really want to risk poking holes into her…”, Akko was carefully taping a poster of Shiny Chariot on the wall, one of her in, she blushed, a sexy witch cosplay that was rather revealing.

“Who is she?” Lotte asked.

Sucy snickered, “Probably someone she jacks off to.” 

Akko’s cheeks heated up and she chucked a pillow from Lotte’s bed at the pink haired girl silently cackling as she clutched onto a… familiar book.

“N-Not true! Wait...are you looking in my sketchbook?!”

“Yes.” Sucy cackled in an eerie manner. She flipped the book around for Lotte to see, exposing two pages with _multiple_ sketches of Shiny Chariot in the same witch outfit she was wearing in the poster on the wall. Lotte couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Gimme that!” Akko stomped over and grabbed her sketchbook back, pouting at the two before chucking it under her pillow and huffing, “N-Not cool!” 

Lotte made an attempt to suppress her giggles into her Nightfall book while Sucy snickered. 

She gazed at the poster, admiration written in her eyes. Hand clutched tightly to her chest, she sighed dreamily, “Anyways, It’s Shiny Chariot! My idol!”

Both Lotte and Sucy had _absolutely no idea_ of who she was talking about, as evidenced by their blank stares. 

“She’s actually, or… was? A famous cosplayer? And a story animator on youtube!”

…A blink, and a tilt of their heads. Still no clue.

“Er...she was also popular on instagram? Made comics and a bunch of fanart of animes and western cartoons?” Akko sighed as she noted how confused her two roommates look. “I think she even had a Voltron phase… but we don’t talk about that.” 

Akko began to pace around the room, finger on her chin as she thought about recognizable details of Chariot. “Oh!” She snapped a finger in realization, “Like Domics!” 

“D-Domics?” Lotte tilted her head to the side, horribly lost. 

“Like the Filipino story animator?” Sucy paused and had placed her luggage of...strange substances aside. 

“Yeah! She makes those kinda vids! Though I’m surprised you haven’t seen any of her vids...she was a lot more popular than Domics.” Akko began to place stickers on the empty spaces of her corkboard. “I’m actually pretty surprised you know him too.”

Sucy proceeded to hide the rest of her materials under her bed, “Domics is actually cool. And Filipino.” 

“Hm...valid point.” The Japanese artist hummed, then hopped into her bed. “Anyways, I’ve been looking up to her works for so long…she’s my inspiration and the reason I went to Luna Nova...”

Lotte smiled, then carefully climbed up the bunk bed’s ladder to get to her own and set herself in a comfortable position with a book. “Wow…I’m sure Shiny Chariot’s amazing, Akko.” 

Suddenly, a new, and, in all honesty, _attractive_ voice, with a subtle British accent spoke at the entrance of their dorm.

“Chariot Du Nord is nothing but a disgrace to contemporary artists.”

Akko immediately jolted from her position on the bottom bunk and banged her head harshly against the board, before flailing her arms to scowl at the source of the new voice. The artist couldn’t help but let her jaw slightly drop. 

To her surprise, as she _suppressed the pain and throbbing of her head_ , a platinum blonde girl with green tea highlights was standing at their door, arms crossed. She was dressed in a simple white button down, undone just a bit at the top _that exposed a bit but just enough cleavage_ , tucked into a pair of light blue jeans, and, _yikes,_ Akko gulped. She was glaring daggers right at the her.

The blonde seemed to maintain an elegant posture, now placing a hand on her hip and _Holy shit, her curves._ She turned her attention to Akko seated on the bottom bunk, and it felt like she was towering over her. “Not only that, but you are also 32 minutes late to the start of the tour. I should inform you that Luna Nova Academy will absolutely not tolerate such tardiness.”

* * *

 Inspired by thespectralbones, I’m gonna be leaving the description of characters at the end! :0

Atsuko “Akko” Kagari

Birthday: 06/25/02

Grade: 11

Height: 5’3”

Programs: Visual Arts

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Nationality: Japanese

Home: Tokyo, Japan

Likes: Water colours, Digital Art, DIANA, Baggy Jackets, Shiny Chariot, Pocky, Ink, DIANA

Dislikes: Realism, People who call Chariot a fraud, Diana(?), Finnelan, English Class

Fun Fact!: Akko was incredibly athletic before high school. She played soccer, basketball, and she was a track star up until 8th grade, when she had to focus on putting together her portfolio for Luna Nova Academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK OK OK so you know that one voltron insult I made? Yeah, no, I like voltron, so me making that bad joke was valid. I'm... I'm so sorry this was a shit first chap rip. 
> 
> Uhhh shameless advertising, but follow my ig or tumblr @peachyparu , I might make art of the au oop


	2. 'Artsocrasty'?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana takes Akko on a tour through the academy. Not everything goes as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i may or may not have added some last minute changes without checking kfkfkf,,, its 2am i’ll edit it tomorrow,, i’d unpublish this chap but tbh i have no idea how

Saturday, September 1st, 2018

1:58 PM EST

Diana 

* * *

 Diana tried her best to maintain her posture as she waited by the art studios to show the new transfer student she was assigned to around. She decided to settle with a simple attire for the day, going with a white long-sleeve button up, tucked into a pair of pale blue jeans. Headmistress Holbrooke was adamant on completing her appearance with a blue tie to signify her role in the student council. She smiled as she ran her fingers through its velvet texture, and made an attempt to loosen it around her neck.

The blonde appreciated the sentiment, but in all honesty, she didn’t want her role in the academy to influence the new student’s first impression on her. She’d appreciate it if someone had treated her according to her personality rather than her position in the student council and the social hierarchy. Well, that and the fact that the uniform shirt was a tad small, considering she hasn't gotten a new set since freshman year. It did used to fit her perfectly by the end of sophomore year, but her growth over summer was significantly evident with the way her white button up was tight on her chest, forcing her to have the top buttons left undone. 

Diana set the tie aside into her baby blue purse before focusing on her phone. She scrolled through her instagram page, swiping from post to post, reading comments from people she’s known her entire life, but know nothing about her. She sighed, then examined both sides of the hallway for any lingering schoolmates. Once she acknowledged the fact that the Visual Arts wing was empty, she leaned further into the wall and slid onto the floor as she switched into her secret art account.

The British artist scrolled through her feed, unable to hold a small smile as she came across fanart of shows she’s interested in, as well as conceptual pieces. All of which in a cartoony art style. Admittedly, she really wished she could have a style of her own rather than her realistic style. Sure she can paint anything exactly the same as it is, given a reference, but the lack of creativity in her works disappointed her. She wished that her classmates and teachers would stop lying and pretending her work is the epitome of fine arts, when it clearly wasn’t. As much as it was looked down upon by many of the art teachers, she mostly wished stylized art were given more credit.

Diana’s thoughts were interrupted when her phone started vibrating and ringing. Her brows furrowed as she read the notification of the alarm, ‘Tour for Transfer Student’. She looked up from her phone and immediately stood from her position on the wall, returning to her previous posture.

I’m _looking forward to showing this new transfer student around...she’ll be arriving at any moment._ The blonde smiled to herself.

_________________________

**29 Minutes Later**

  _Unbelievable. It’s 2:29. She’s 30 minutes late._

_Insensitive. Utterly Inconsiderate...the nerve of this girl! Talking about Chariot Du Nord rather than meeting up for the tour._

Diana gritted her teeth as she stood at the entrance of ‘Atsuko Kagari’s’ dorm, arms crossed, eyes shut, before taking one stride through the door frame. Though she was once mesmerized by her former idol , the blonde was unable to set aside all the negative aspects of the missing artist that contributed to the years of her childhood spent in isolation. And, contrasting from this fangirl's opinions, she knew Shiny Chariot does not deserve to be referred to as amazing. 

“Chariot Du Nord is nothing but a disgrace to contemporary artists.” She said in a cold tone.

The heiress opened her eyes to the sound of one of the roommates banging her head against the board as a result from jumping in her position on the bottom bunk. Diana crossed her arms glanced between the 3 roommates, before setting her eyes on the flimsy girl.

_I suppose this is Atsuko?_

Diana placed a hand on her hip as she gazed down at the girl, who was currently scowling back at her. The Brit raised an eyebrow as she noticed her gulp. “Not only that, but you are also 32 minutes late to the start of the tour. I should inform you that Luna Nova Academy will absolutely not tolerate such tardiness.”

At an instant, the girl seated on the bottom bunk was now standing on her toes in an attempt to match the blonde’s height, glaring back at her. “Take that back about Chariot!” She crossed her arms.

 Diana pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in annoyance, “I assume you must be Atsuko Kagari, then? And that is all you care to say?”

“Chariot Du Nord is an amazing artist! You probably don’t have as good of a taste in art as you think you do!” Atsuko stuck out her tongue, and Diana twitched an eye.

_Absolutely immature…_

“H-Hey...Diana!” A timid voice stuttered. Diana turned her attention to the source of the voice to see a ginger girl she recognized as Lotte climbing down the ladder of the bunk and making her way to the transfer student’s side. “I’m so sorry about my friend here!”, she nudged at the girl and whispered quietly to her, as though the blonde wasn’t close enough to hear. “This is Diana Cavendish, the most popular girl on campus, and you’re late for your tour with her, Akko!”

The blonde watched as the brunette glanced at her, then back to her ginger friend. Diana sighed, shut her eyes and shook her head.

  _So much for a proper first impression..._

Atsuko sighed, then turned back to Diana, still scowling.

“Look, I’m sorry I totally forgot about the tour. But Shiny Chariot is my idol and I won’t let anyone, not even a pretentious pri-...” She glanced back at her roommate with wide eyes at the realization of what she was about to say, then back at the blonde, “... princess... like you insult her like that.”

The British girl furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed an eerie chuckling behind her, raising an eyebrow as she turned slightly to find their third roommate snickering at them.

“Holy shit, she really did just say that to the queen bee of the school.” The girl said in between snickers in a raspy voice.

Diana rolled her eyes, not surprised the other transfer student is already aware of her reputation in Luna Nova and turned her attention back to the other two, gritting her teeth as she glared at the brunette. “Do **not** call me princess.”

Diana stepped back and waited by the door. “I will speak however way I like, as long as it’s the truth. Now, are you prepared for the tour, or must I wait another half hour?” 

Atsuko huffed, then looked to her roommates as though she’s asking for their help, before looking back at the blonde.

_She’s the one who needs help from me? The audacity…_

The shorter girl sighed in defeat, before approaching the taller girl. “Fine.”

Diana, although annoyed at the girl, had to admit she was… incredibly attractive. The blonde took note of her cute asymmetrical hairstyle with a short ponytail and admired how it matched her otherwise symmetrical face. She could already tell she’s Japanese from her name, but she would have guessed from her appearance as well. Despite being nearly 25°C, Atsuko was donning a maroon bomber jacket with her red baseball tee crop top, alongside, _Oh Nines… remarkably_ short black shorts revealing her toned legs to suit her black zip-up leather boots. Somehow, her striking crimson eyes, gazing back at her own, seemed to top off her stunning appearance.

 _Gazing back at her own…_ Diana’s eyes widened in realization _… the girl had been watching as she stared for, Nines know how long…_

The British artist cleared her throat, before stepping aside and gesturing out the door.

“Shall we go then?”

The brunette turned to her roommates and waved a quick goodbye before exiting the dorm, following behind Diana.

The two walked awkwardly in silence for a moment, heading towards the staircase before the Japanese girl mumbled something inaudible. The blonde hummed as she glanced to her side at the girl looking down.

“I beg your pardon?”

Atsuko placed her hands into her jacket as Diana noticed her avert her eyes.

“Nevermind… ignore that.” She grumbled.

The blonde nodded, making a mental note to keep her chin up and maintain her posture with each stride she took.

“I must inform you… Luna Nova does not tolerate vulgar language whatsoever. Please let your roommate know about that. And don’t think I failed to hear what you almost referred to me as in your dorm, I do not appreciate that. Let this be a warning.” Diana glanced to the side to observe the look on the girl’s face as she noticed her glaring at the ground while they walked.

“Jeez… alright I got it.” The shorter girl huffed before rubbing the back of her neck, “I’m sorry you had to wait 30 minutes for me...I’d be mad if that happened too, so…” She gave the blonde a weak smile and brushed a strand of her brunette hair to the side.

Diana sighed, “No, it’s alright… I apologize for rudely interrupting your conversation with your roommates”, she paused as the two stopped at the top of the stairs.

Akko rubbed her neck nervously as they descended down the stairway. “It’s-... It’s okay. I’m uh… I’m Akko by the way. Atsuko Kagari, actually, but Atsuko sounds waaay too long and fancy, so I‘d rather be called-”

“Akko, yes, I understand”, The blonde interrupted. “Diana Cavendish… though… your friend has already informed you about my name. I’m astonished at the fact that you weren’t given a proper tour with the other freshmen.” Diana raised an eyebrow at the girl who didn’t seem to bat an eye at her joke… or… that sounded more like an insult.

“... I’m in 11th grade.” Akko stated obliviously, “Are you always so formal?”  She suddenly asked,, catching the taller girl off guard with such a random question.

“I-... I  most certainly am not!” Yet again, she pinched the bridge of her nose, “That-... that was a joke. I-... by the nines, you have the attention span of a-...” Diana shook her head, choosing not to continue her sentence as they reached ground level.

Akko stifled a laugh, “Well, your joke sucked. But hey, A for effort.” The brunette snickered as she walked through the exit and into the courtyard behind the blonde. Diana rolled her eyes at the immature behaviour as they walked outside.

The courtyard consisted of gardens and a grassy field with paved walkways leading to different entrances of the dormitories and the main academy’s building. There were a few trees at the gardens at the side as tall as the dormitory buildings, one of which offering enough shade for two senior students the Brit recognized as they sit together. One of the girls, seated against the tree, known for her signature red lipstick and long, dark raven locks, was on her laptop as the girl next to her, who was slightly shorter with a dark brunette bob and wearing a blue hoodie, was laying on her shoulder, most likely asleep. Diana smiled at the sight, wishing she could remember their names. It was on the tip of her tongue, though. Karen and Amy _? Kiara and Alice?_

It was quite the scenery, especially with how bright it was outside. The blonde wished she could slip away to paint it.

“Woah...I wish I could paint this.” Akko breathed as she looked around.

Diana glanced to her side at the brunette next to her.

_At least we have one thing in common._

“This is the courtyard. You may have noticed it through your dormitory’s window. Many students often cut through here to reach class faster, considering it is much more convenient.” The taller girl gestured to the multiple pathways and entrances. “The entrance to the main building is straight ahead.”

The shorter girl hummed in response, then suddenly asked, “What programs are you in? Visual arts? I’ve never met anyone who knew about Chariot who isn’t an artist.”

Diana began walking along the path. “Yes, I believe we’ll be in the same class then. I’m also in AP biology. Are you in any advanced placement programs as well?”

Akko stifled a laugh, “Pfft...Course not, I’m too stupid for them.”

“Well, if you actually studied, perhaps-“

The blonde paused when she heard the girl snicker again, but this time, in an annoyed manner, and noticed the girl roll her eyes, as she watched a... _is that a Tik Tok?..._ on her iPhone.

 _She…she really rolled her eyes at me. While watching a meme video, nonetheless.’_ Diana’s eye twitched as she watched Akko scroll through her phone at an attempt to avoid eye contact with the taller girl, “I do study, but it’s not like it’s any of your business. You’re not my mom, alright?”

Diana huffed, blowing a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. “It is my responsibility as the Junior representative in student council to ensure-“ She paused mid-sentence when she noticed a group of familiar girls playing soccer on another pathway, something against the rules and _clearly_ a safety hazard.

“Wh-...” The shorter girl looked up from her phone for a moment and at the direction of the blonde was looking towards.

The Brit glared as she watched one of the girls with unusual short, bright pink hair, dribble a ball between her feet.

“Someone you know?” Akko asked as she watched the girl taunt her opponent.

“Unfortunately.” Diana sighed as she scowled at the girl from afar. “I expected her to be expelled last year…”

“Wow...what did she do?”

The blonde massaged her forehead as she allowed the memory of the event to resurface in her head. “She...organized a skateboarding marathon throughout the academy, resulting in complete chaos.”

The shorter girl snorted, “I don’t know about that, but that sounds really cool.”

The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose, “It breaks various violations of the academy. Not to mention, she skateboarded through the area where the murals were being made in the art wing, causing paint from the buckets to splash all over, _coincidentally,_ only mine. I should also include the fact that some students involved also caused minor injuries to others who were walking.”

“Minor.” Akko repeated, glancing at the taller girl beside her, “Does that really ground for expulsion? You just sound pretty butthurt over that.”

“Butthurt? May I ask, how old are you? I’ve never even heard a freshman utter out such ridiculousness.”

“My point exactly.” The brunette gave the blonde a smug grin. “Sorry miss perfect, but she obviously has something against you. Can’t please everyon-“ As though on cue, a soccer ball was kicked and suddenly slammed into Akko’s face, _hard,_ interrupting her, and causing her to fall backwards, right into Diana’s arms.

“OOF— _Fuck_ _me,_ my bad!” A familiar voice yelled from across the field. Diana scowled towards the direction of said voice, glaring as the pink-haired girl ran up to them.

“Ohh-“, the girl immediately came to a stop when she met Diana’s eyes, stepping backwards a few steps and wincing as she acknowledged the blonde’s expression. “Holy _FUCK_ , is she alright?”

Akko, somewhat in a haze, shook her head and clenched at her now red cheek as Diana, whose face heated and showed the slightest shade of red, held her. “Yep, I’m-.. _holy heck_ -“, she wobbled as she stood, accidentally pushing Diana away from her in the process of getting herself on her feet. “I’m good.”

“That was a hell of a blow to the face though, man, what a fucking trooper.”  She smirked at Diana before extending a hand out to Akko. “Must be the new transfer student. I’m Amanda. Sorry about that nasty shot, by the way.” Amanda rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

Akko instantly took the girl by her hand and grinned widely, “Atsuko Kagari, but everyone calls me Akko! That was a really cool strike!”

Diana had to admit, she wished she could have made a _positive_ first impression on the girl. It’s utterly ridiculous how Amanda, who could have inflicted a concussion on the Japanese artist, was already seeming to have the girl warm up to her. She glared at the soccer player.

“No! No, no, not ‘cool’!” Diana pulled Akko from the back of her bomber jacket away from the pink haired girl. “O’Neill, I see you managed to slip away from the consequences of last year’s pep rally disaster, though I suppose you are already aware you are on your _final_ warning, and behaviour such as this will absolutely not be toler-"

“Calm your aristocratic ass, Cavendish, Akko says she’s gucci”, Amanda gestured to the girl nonchalantly pressing her hand to her left cheek, “Then she’s gucci.”

“Are you in any of the art programs?” Akko shook herself out of Diana’s grasp, who huffed and crossed her arms.

“As a matter of a fact”, the soccer player grinned at the shorter girl, “I’m in the dance program.” She winked at Akko, who, _thank the nines,_ did not seem phased by it.

“That’s really cool! I don’t know much about dancing though, but I bet you guys are neat.”

Diana cleared her throat and stepped in front of Akko to separate her from Amanda. “Well, it was lovely speaking to you Amanda, but if you please, we must get going, I’ve barely started the tour.”

The dancer snorted and picked up her soccer ball. “Damn, sorry you got stuck with Cavenbitch here.” She snickered when the blonde snapped an ‘Amanda!’ at her. “If you need a new guide, you know where to find me.” She winked at the two before heading towards the girls she was playing soccer with.

Diana rubbed at her temple, “That girl is such an annoyance…” She deeply inhaled before she began walking again, gesturing for Akko to follow along. “Before you get any ideas, playing soccer, as well as any other physical sports in the courtyard violates regulations. If you must, at least head to the football field if you do so.” Diana glanced back at the shorter girl and notice her roll her eyes once again.

_Nines, this is going to be a long day..._

____________  

Diana led Akko into the main building for the tour, hoping to not come across anymore interruptions for the time being, as she so _badly_ wanted this over and done with. Initially intending to make a new friend, the heiress ended up prioritizing the traditions of the academy and admittedly behaved rather...intense. She could tell the Japanese girl could _not_ stand her and her ‘Constant nagging’ the brunette complained about earlier. And quite frankly, she was not so keen about her as well. At least the feelings were mutual. And the fact that the girl she was walking alongside with was half an hour late, and well, disregarded too much of the academy’s rules did not help her opinion on the girl as well.

She glanced over to the shorter girl beside her, raising an eyebrow as she noticed she was reading a Japanese comic on her phone—a...a _mango… m-manga?_ It was probably the 4th time the blonde scolded her for not paying attention until she finally put the phone away after some bickering.

Diana brought Akko to the different areas on the first floor. It wasn’t necessary, but she showed her the theatre, dance and band room where few students were practicing in. The blonde explained how quite simple it was to find your way around the building, especially with all the colourful signs located all throughout the academy—green represents the science classes, red for maths, blue for english—

“Huh, I always thought of English as a yellow type of colour.” Akko hummed, to which Diana _actually_ stifled a small giggle to.

“I’m not quite sure why, but it does seem more natural as yellow rather than blue.” The blonde glanced over to the girl beside her, giving a quick smile before looking back.

The tension between the two made it difficult to strike up conversations without one irritating the other, but overall, the silence, asides from the occasional hums and comments the Japanese artist let out were quite entertaining. Somehow, Diana felt like she could warm up to this new student. They dropped by the cafeteria when she noticed the girl light up at the sight of pastries. The blonde would've offered to purchase a chocolate filled croissant for her, but she managed to slip away for a moment and _steal_ one. They made their way toward the art wing with the blonde giving her a lecture regarding her 'pastry heist',  which Akko ignored as she happily ate it as they made their way toward the art wing.

The two looked at paintings outside of Diana’s sophomore class from last year as she told Akko about the expectations of the past art teachers and how unfortunately, their last instructor, Miss Woodward, retired and was replaced by her former protégé Ursula Callistis. 

“Maybe she’ll be as good as the one from before? As long as she’s not like that old professor nagging at me.” Akko finished up the last piece of her croissant.

“That was Miss Finnelan. And she had a valid point, considering your...revealing outfit and the fact that you were dropping croissant crumbs all over the English hallway.”

“Wh-...What’s wrong with my outfit?” She consciously clutched at her exposed and _toned_ stomach, unaware of the lingering blue eyes that quickly looked away before she could notice. Akko snorted, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she snickered. “We’re in an art school, shouldn’t she be used to students wearing crop tops. Hm… but then again, artsy kids are usually insecure.”

Diana raised an eyebrow and stifled a small laugh at the observation. The brunette grinned.

“What? It’s true! Unless you’re cocky about your art, which, if I’ve gotta be honest, you definitely seem like you are-“ The blonde rolled her eyes playfully at the comment. “All artists hate it when people watch them draw.”

“Be that as it may, I still recommend you to adhere to the rules, especially when enforced by the instructors. Miss Finnelan does not take kindly to rebellious behaviour.” Diana took out multiple keys from her purse. “With that in mind, please refrain from causing any sort of chaos when I show you the studios.”

Diana internally winced when she noticed the brunette’s grin quickly fade away with a pout. “Aaaand you’re back to being bossy.”

“It was never my intention to act ‘bossy’. But please… for all we know, Miss Callistis may not be too keen on students touching her stuff, regardless of whether they’re an art student or…” The Blonde trailed off as she noticed Akko was no longer following her. She looked back to the shorter girl who was standing in front of her mural from 10th grade. Diana’s stomach felt like it was twisting at the sight of it.

“Is… this yours?” The brunette gazed at a portrait-scaled realistic painting of a woman with vines wrapping all around her arms, reaching out to a smaller woman, both having a similar platinum blonde and green tea wavy hair as Diana herself, all under a teal overlay.

_She’s right about artists being insecure about their works._

The heiress slowly nodded, making her way to stand beside the brunette to look back at the mural with blotches of teal and white paint splattered all throughout the canvas, thanks to a certain pink-haired girl. If the blonde had to be honest though, it really suit the piece, but she’d never let her have the satisfaction of knowing it helped her.

She stared back at the two women in the piece, before focusing on the small figure and shutting her eyes.

Diana could hear the girl shuffling uncomfortable beside her.  “Ookay…what’s it about?”

The blonde opened her eyes and glanced to the side. “It’s none of your concern”, she said in a cold tone, “Let’s get going.” She felt a pang of the past stab at her stomach as she continued walking.

_I thought painting my emotions would make me feel better, not tear me apart piece by piece all over again._

“Hey, c’mon, why not show me your paintings? Thought you’d be the kind who loves bragging about their works.” Akko chuckled nervously behind her.

Diana gritted her teeth, “Hm, you don’t seem to be the kind who would take them seriously.”

The blonde heard the sound of the brunette walking shift into stomping as she got closer. “Y’know for being the supposed ‘most popular’ girl in school, you kinda suck at socializing.”

Diana simply ignored her as she made her way down the art hall. After a moment of walking without the sound of the girl accompanying her, she turned around and realized she was otherwise occupied by the large cork board and medium-sized paintings in front of the class. The blonde scoffed. “What can you possibly be distracted by again?”

Diana walked towards her to observe the board Akko was staring at, before focusing her eyes on a picture of Chariot Du Nord with an arm around a familiar lilac haired girl. The blonde’s heart warmed at the sight of her former inspiration, before she remembered what she had done and began scowling at the view.

“Let’s go.”  Diana huffed.

“Why don’t you like Chariot?” Akko suddenly asked, making the blonde stop on her tracks.

The blonde’s answer immediately came to mind, narrowing her eyes as she recollected the dreadful reminders of her lonely youth filled with countless amount of taunts from her aunt and cousins, with no mother, no friends, and no Chariot to bring back the spark that was once in her eye. 

 _Because she left me when I needed her the most_ , she grit her teeth.

_Because she was a reminder of that fact that everything I knew was a lie._

Diana turned back to the girl. “Chariot is looked down upon for various reasons. I would not recommend expressing your adoration for _a fraud_ would be suitable within the academy. Her career is an insult to all artists regardless of styles.”

Akko scoffed at her, “All she wanted to do was spread happiness, I’m sorry if you’re too cold to experience that!”  

Diana crossed her arms and glared down at the brunette. “If Chariot desired to ‘spread happiness’, she would have done so by properly making her own pieces rather than discrediting the artists she stole from!”

“You don’t know for sure if she stole that art!” The Japanese girl stood on her toes to match the taller girl’s height.

“From her best friend nonetheless. If that’s the kind of idol you look up to, then how naive must you possibly be?! There was an entire court case regarding her being an art thief, and she’s been missing ever since.”

Akko slowly retracted backwards, staring at her in disbelief, not knowing how to respond.

Diana pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes in frustration. “Honestly, why do you think so highly of her?

The heiress was just about to turn around and start return to the tour, before the shorter girl fumed.

“Why do you think so highly of yourself?!” Akko threw her hands up in frustration, then gestured back to Diana’s large piece. “Of course your ego is big enough for you to paint a fucking self portrait of yourself!”

The blonde froze, and she slowly faced the brunette and scowled at her.

“I recommend you find someone else to give you a tour. Go and find O’Neill for all I care, I no longer have any business with the likes of someone like you.”

Diana started making her way to the staircase, eyes scowling as she tried her best to set aside her frustration.

“Great! I hope you enjoy life in artsocrasty!” The girl behind her called out.

The blonde scoffed and turned her head back for a moment, yelling back “It’s aristocracy!“

When Diana finally reached her dorm room, after dismissing some students and teachers’ greetings as she walked by them, irritated, she immediately crashed into her queen-sized bed. Hugging her worn teddy plush to her chest, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her harsh, and obviously false words.

As childish this irritating girl was, she also reminded her of how happy the heiress’s childhood was before the passing of her mother.

* * *

 Diana Cavendish

Birthday: 04/30/01

Grade: 11

Height: 5’6”

Programs: Visual Arts, AP Biology

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: full fucking blown lesbian

Nationality: English

Home: Edinburgh, Scotland 

Likes: Photography, Realism, AKKO, Biology, Unicorns, Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, Tea, Charcoal, English Class, AKKO

Dislikes: Public Transportation, Ridiculous Anatomy in Art, Her Aunt and Cousins, Amanda, Akko(?)

Fun Fact!: If Diana concentrates on someone's facial features just enough, she can most likely make an accurate drawing of them without needing a reference.  _Not even art block can stop her gay ass from having Akko doodles all over her notes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i totally did sneak in korrasami,,
> 
> be glad it wasnt klance smh
> 
> And yes, Diana's estate is in Scotland, but she still has a subtle English accent. sorry @ Scottish Diana stans
> 
> I had a really hard time writing the interaction between Diana and Akko in this since they’re still in a… rivalry?? Antagonistic?? Phase??? Ugh when can i get the gay disasters


	3. What a Trainwreck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko comes across Luna Nova's kickoff event, where she meets Andrew Hanbridge, then takes the subway to explore downtown Toronto with Amanda O'Neill.

Sunday, September 2, 2018

1 Day Before the Start of Second Semester

12:46 PM EST

Akko

* * *

Akko walked towards the main building, heading towards the atrium, hoping to not come across a particular blonde.

Dressed in her usual casual style, she was wearing a plain black tee with two white stripes on the end of their sleeves, matching with her kneesocks with a similar design, alongside light denim short shorts. She wanted to hang out with Lotte and Sucy today, but they were both busy—Lotte having to do something with the school’s choir, and Sucy?? Apparently she was brewing something under her bed? What??? The Japanese artist decided to bring along a small backpack to carry her pencil case and sketchbook, hoping to find a nice place to draw and where to get new art supplies.

Akko would’ve spent the rest of the day yesterday grumbling over the blonde with no idea where to go if she hadn’t run into Ursula-Sensei, their new art instructor, who showed her around instead of said blonde.

The brunette felt at ease knowing her art teacher wasn’t some old naggy hag, and, well, if she had to be honest, Miss Callistis is the exact opposite.

She was young, wearing a tracksuit , had dyed blue hair, and was a fumbling mess. She was also somehow even caught up with the latest memes. Akko spent a good half hour during the tour rambling on and on about her tiktok account and how her videos, specifically the ones of her in cosplay, were getting over 2K views.

Asides from the Japanese artist talking mindlessly about her videos, she genuinely enjoyed the older woman’s company, and really felt like she could see her as somewhat like a motherly figure. Heck, she even taught the girl how to properly pronounce _aristocracy_ properly. Akko has never come across an art teacher so supportive of a cartoony or anime style, so she was extremely grateful.

When she walked into the atrium, she noticed it was a lot busier than it was the day prior, and that there were more pieces of art displayed on various grid panel walls laid throughout the area. The brunette looked up to the instrumental band on the catwalk on the second floor playing… I-Is that? The opening song from Guardians of the Galaxy?

Akko stifled a chuckle as she observed a few pieces, then made her way down an aisle of art before recognizing a familiar platinum blonde and green tea haired girl in front of a large piece nearby, most likely explaining her concept to a few adults. She immediately ducked behind an easel with a canvas that displayed… a surrealistic piano painting? She’d almost knocked it over when she heard the sound of a guy with a deep voice clear his throat.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t push my piece over.”

The brunette looked up to see a tall guy, with dark hair parted through the middle, almost glaring down at her with bright emerald eyes. He was wearing a lilac rolled and buttoned-up shirt with a black tie, accompanied by black slacks. In all honesty, he looked cute. But his attire radiated the same ‘artsocratic' energy as the blonde she’d argued with yesterday. He also looked kinda like a dick.

“Excuse me?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Oh. That was out loud.

“Like… a Richard, y’know?” Akko squeaked, and chuckled nervously.

“Like a Richard…” He repeated and continued to glare at her.

“Don’t seem to have a filter? Do you?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Hey that!...” The brunette started, but couldn’t find the words for her reply.

“Why are you hiding behind the painting? You should be careful around the pieces.” He scolded.

Akko shrunk and stepped backwards, glancing back at the blonde then at him with a gulp.

The boy crossed his arms, “Honestly, I am so sick and tired of you girls constantly coming and throwing fake compliments about my piece.”

The Japanese artist furrowed her brows in confusion as she glanced at the surrealistic piano painting she had been hiding behind, then back at him.

Akko hummed.

Kinda looks like shit, if I have to be honest.

Suddenly, the taller boy froze, eyes widened as he stood there staring at her, arms still crossed.

Akko flailed her arms frantically, “I-I-I DIDN’T MEAN THAT! I mean—I did! But I didn’t mean it like that!—like that was totally not cool of me to say it the way I did, maybe it could use a touch more shading and more contrast, but all in all!!-“

He looked back at her with a glare, then stifled a chuckle as his expression slightly softened.

The brunette looked back at him, dumbstruck with his unexpected reaction.

“Sorry! Sorry… I sincerely apologize.” He snickered, before composing himself. “I know it looks horrible, believe me, I can care less. I thought you were one of the students hoping to catch my attention by complimenting this piece of crap. The audacity of some people...”

Akko blinked in confusion. “Eh?” She peered over at the the heiress, checking to see if she was seen by her.

The boy glanced over at the direction of the blonde, then back at her. “Were you perhaps hiding from Diana Cavendish?” He looked over his painting at the heiress talking to people.

The brunette shook her head aggressively. “N-No, of course not! I…”

The boy snickered, then shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I get how she can be… intense. I suppose you’re new to Luna Nova Academy?”

Akko paused for a moment, then immediately stood up straight with a wide grin. “I’m Atsuko Kagari! But call me Akko!”

“Hanbridge. Andrew Hanbridge”, he offered his hand. Akko took it into hers and shook it.

“My, it’s quite refreshing you’re unaware of my family name.” Andrew sighed in relief before retracting his hand.

“Why, should I already know it like the Cavendish name?”

‘’Maybe. We are a pretty big deal around here, not to sound egotistical.”

Akko laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah… anyways, your painting looks pretty cool!”

Andrew smiled and glanced at the canvas. “Thanks. Know a thing or two about painting?”

The Japanese artist grinned, “I’m actually in the art program too!”

“A junior as well, I presume? I suppose we’ll be in the same class as Miss Cavendish.”

Akko groaned, “Don’t remind me. She’s kind of a major pain.”

Andrew stifled a chuckle. “Understandable.”

The brunette glanced over to the blonde who was now accompanied by two other students, one with auburn hair tied up and completed with a yellow bow, and the other with long dark hair with a middle parting. Diana had glanced over to Andrew and the shorter artist for a moment, before immediately turning back and locking eyes with Akko, who flinched and instantly looked back at Andrew.

Oh God, I can feel her glaring at me.

Akko began walking down the aisle, Andrew getting the hint when he noticed the blonde scowl over at them and following alongside the brunette. “A-Anyways. What’s going on? I- uh… didn’t notice all of this stuff displayed yesterday when I was registering.”

Andrew shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked around at the pieces they’d passed. “It’s a kick-off event, celebrating the start of a new year. Kind of like the open house or the annual Luna Nova Gallery. Various pieces of art are featured, accompanied by the instrumental band playing music upstairs on the catwalk and some scheduled vocal performances happening later on. It’s pretty small compared to the other two we hold during the school year though.”

Akko hummed, then peered over to a clay sculpture of… once again, a surrealistic piano. It was probably the 5th piano related piece she say by the taller artist.

“You seem to be a little fixated on pianos.” She giggled.

Andrew raised an eyebrow and turned to her. He glanced over to her sketchbook “Care to show your art?”

The brunette peered at her backpack, which was zipped halfway up, but enough to reveal its contents. She smiled sheepishly.

“You sure? It’s kind of got a bunch of anime in it-“

Andrew interrupted with a smirk. “I’d have to admit, Sailor Moon owned my childhood.”

Akko chuckled, then passed her sketchbook over to him, allowing him to flip from page to page as he observed the little doodles.

“Ah. I’ve seen my roommate watch a few of these. This one’s from Little Witch Academia, I assume?”

“Yeah… I like to draw the character designs, but the anime’s kind of stupid.”

“Might not want to say that around him.” Andrew chuckled as he handed back her sketchbook.

“In all honesty, I thought you’d react like prissy princess over there and give me a lecture about anime styles and how realism is ‘superior’ or something.”

Andrew crossed his arms, “I have to say, realism is a more valued style. However, that doesn’t stop me from loving cartoons. Miss Cavendish probably has a secret soft side over them.”

“What about your piano thing?” Akko gestured over to his painting.

He gazed over to his piece, “As much as I enjoy art and such… I would have preferred to be in the instrumental program.”

“Oh…”

“My father doesn’t allow me to play piano, nor audition for the program. But hey, man never said anything about me making every single one of my art pieces expressing my passion for it.” Andrew grinned at his work.

Akko laughed and stuffed her sketchbook into her bag.

Andrew glanced over to the cafeteria, where Akko had heard singing—possibly where the choir performances were being held as students and adults filled up the seats and tables inside to watch? The brunette notice him looking at a tall, blonde boy was setting up his mic. He turned to her.

“I apologize, but I must go watch my friend’s performance. It was a delight talking to you though. May I perhaps get your number? Or instagram?”

Akko’s eyes widened and cheeks flushed as she stammered. “Uhh…”

Is he...asking me out?! We just met?!!

Andrew raised an eyebrow and shook his head as he realized how that sounded, “No, no, not like that! Believe me, I’m a complete… Richard to most girls interested in me, as what you’ve already seen. You’re one of the first people not to give any regards to my status. I appreciate that.”

The brunette smiled and happily typed up her instagram in his phone, him doing the same. She made a comment about how his whole business profile made him look like a fuckboy. He didn’t reply. Akko figured it was a silent agreement. Because seriously, for an heir to his family business’ company, he should at least take selfies with a clean mirror.

“Didn’t peg you as the type to go after fuckboys.” A familiar voice behind her said.

Akko turned and faced Amanda, who was smirking with a hand on her waist. She stifled a laugh.

“That’s what I said!”

It took a moment for Akko to register what the red head had really said. She flailed her arms, all flustered. "Wait, not that, I meant that he kinda gave off that kind of a vibe!"

Amanda chuckled and crossed her arms, “No seriously, what’s his deal with you?”

The brunette shrugged. “We just talked about art and Diana.”

“Well, just watch out for him, bro. Him and Diana kinda give out the same aristocratic asshole energy. I wouldn't be surprised if she got pissed that you're chasing after her boy toy.” The taller girl glared towards the cafeteria.

Akko let out an incomprehensible squeak, "Th-They're DATING?" 

In all honesty, the brunette shouldn't be shocked that two of the richest and most popular people in the academy were presumably a thing. But the idea of someone being able to, not only handle the blonde's bossiness and constant nagging, but also think of her romantically left the Japanese artist staring off into space and scoffing at such a silly idea. 

Amanda snorted, "Not that I know, but they could be with how close they are."

The brunette shrugged, and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "Yeah, probably..."

“Anyways, how’d it go with blondie yesterday?”

The Japanese girl grinned sheepishly. “We kinda yelled at each other and I ended up getting a tour from my art teacher.”

“Damn, you pissed her off that much?” The athlete punched her shoulder playfully. “Nice one.”

The brunette giggled and rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t mean to be rude back to her to… she was just so… bossy.” She shrugged. “Takes two to tag.”

Amanda raised an eyebrow. “You mean ‘It takes two to tango’?”

Akko blinked in confusion.

The soccer player shook her head, muttering ‘Nevermind’ as she leaned against the wall of art with an arm and turned to the shorter girl with a grin.

“So… you doing anything?”

The brunette stared back at her blankly.

The taller girl was wearing a maroon flannel with a plain white tee, along with a pair of black ripped jeans to match her black vans. Her hair was pushed back unlike the day before, her hair being all messy after all the running she did from soccer with friends, so Akko also noticed the black studs on her ears. Her cheeks heated at the sight.

Why the hell is everyone in this art school so damn attractive.

Akko glanced at her backpack as she adjusted the strap, “I was looking for a place to sketch and hopefully an art store.”

Amanda smiled widely, “That’s great!  Wanna explore downtown with me?”

Akko beamed at her, “Of course!” She reached into her pocket and took out a black card. “My mom got me this bus card loaded with a ton of money, so you’re gonna teach me how to use it. No getting out of it.”

The pink haired girl chuckled, before nudging the shorter girl’s shoulder with her own. “I won’t complain. C’mon.”

As the two made their way to the exit, Akko peered over her shoulder, meeting eyes for only a moment with a cold glare. She gulped as she noticed the two scowling at her or Amanda. Probably Amanda, considering she just stuck her tongue out at them and flipped them off. The brunette looked back with a giggle.

_________________________

Akko was pretty comfortable with using public transportation. After all, she took the subway in Tokyo every day to get to school. The only difference was just the new locations, but overall, she was fine with it. Amanda on the other hand, despite living in Canada for over a year (Amanda had told her she transferred to Luna Nova in 10th grade), could barely navigate herself through the various subway trains and buses.

“Thanks for tagging along, man. My roommates were busy with the kickoff and Miss Finnelan banned me from playing anything outside today, so this was really chill of you.” Amanda shifted in her seat.

Akko smiled, “It’s no problem! I didn’t really have anything to do either, and I wanted to explore Toronto. Where we headed, anyways?”

The taller girl grinned, “There’s an art store called Curry’s with a really bomb ass ice cream shop nearby.”

As the two waited for their station to be announced, Amanda told her about her experiences in Luna Nova Academy. Well, more of leaving the classes out and talking about the other students. The taller girl leaned into her seat.

“Diana’s pretty shit, but her two friends? Barbara and Hannah? Total asswipes.”

“Why, what’d they do?”

Amanda huffed, “They’re just shitty people. Got me suspended twice by ratting me out. Hannah’s in the Dance program with me, so she’s always making comments about how ‘unladylike’ I am.” She chuckled, “Though it’s kind of like what you said. It takes two to tango y’know? They piss me off and I piss them off even more.”

Akko giggled, then looked around the train cart. Though it was busy, as most seats were taken up, leaving some people standing, it was nothing compared to the subway system in Tokyo. To be fair, it was only around 1:30PM and nowhere near rush hour, according to Amanda. The girl shifted in her seat as she looked up at the red head.

"Out of curiosity... how many times did you get suspended?"

It took a moment for the taller girl to respond. She puckered her lips as she counted her fingers. Akko's eyes widened as she watched, suppressing a giggle at the fact she had to recollect her number of suspensions.

"Five." Amanda grinned rapturously, as though she was announcing some kind of achievement.

"F-F-F-FIVE?!" Akko yelled out, bringing attention from almost everyone in the train cart.

The red head's eyes widened, "SHHHH", she brought a finger to the brunette's lips as she turned to the people sitting across from them, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry about that. She's learning to count."  She removed her finger from her lips. "Yep. Five. I was given three chances at first though." She chuckled.

"Three chances?! Aren't you on your sixth chance now?!" Akko made an attempt to whisper, but it was clearly loud enough for the people around them to hear.

The taller girl shrugged. "Headmistress changed her mind after my third suspension. Apparently someone convinced her to let me 'start over' or some shit, but she never really told me who. Kinda pissed me off, but... really happy at the same time". She smiled as she leaned back into her seat.

"So who do you think...?" The brunette began to ask.

"Definitely someone who can influence the headmistress to do some stupid shit. Not Diana, though... she wants me gone." Akko watched as she furrowed her eyebrows as she glared into the seat in front of her, thinking hard about who it might've been.

"I have an idea on who it might have been... but..." Amanda shook her head. "No, nevermind, it was over before it really began." She muttered to herself.

Akko raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Who?"

The taller girl, who seemed to always never take a topic seriously, averted her eyes and glared to the side, refusing to elaborate. Akko thought it might be best to set it aside. She can probably annoy her about that later on.

After a moment, she decided to change the subject. “So what’s the deal with Diana?” The brunette slouched in her seat.

Amanda shrugged, “Like you’ve heard, she’s essentially the queen bee of the school. Kisses up to teachers’ asses, and even some students. Her student council campaign was shit too. Don’t know how she even won.”

The brunette hummed as she peered outside the window, though it did her no good, considering they were traveling through a dark tunnel. She listened to the taller girl as she continued.

“Hm… but in all honesty, she has her moments where she’s not being a total bitch. And even though I pull shit on her all the time too, I still feel bad for her with the crap ton of rumours spread about her.”

“Rumours?” Akko asked.

Amanda nodded, “Yep. She may have some people looking up to her and all that shit, but there’s a ton of people who hate her too.” The taller girl brought her foot up onto her seat and rested her elbow on her knee. “The guys? They lie about hooking up with her too. So some girls think she’s a slut.”

The shorter girl’s eyes widened as she whipped her head to face her. “Sh-she’s not really?! Is she…?”

The athlete snorted, “Course not. She’s too ‘prim’ and ‘proper’ for stuff like that.” The American made finger quotes at those two words.

Akko slouched in her seat. “Oof… I guess that sucks.”

Amanda crossed her arms as she leaned back in her seat. “Well, still not an excuse for acting like a bitch. Anyways, setting asides the crappy people in Luna Nova… how are your roommates?”

The Japanese artist smiled, “They’re actually really nice! I’m dorming with Lotte Yansson and Sucy Manb-...Manbav-...” She grumbled at her inability to pronounce the girl’s last name (yeah, me neither), “Whatever it’s pronounced!”

The taller girl grinned, “Aye, Lotte! I was in a few classes with her last year. She’s super nice. And Sucy? Haven’t heard of her.”

“Sucy’s a transfer student like me”, Akko said, “She’s pretty weird. Super into chemistry. And kinda sounds dead. But she can be nice... in interesting ways.” She chuckled.

Amanda snickered, “Sounds pretty neat. You should meet mine. Constanze? Hell of an engineer. Not much of a talker. And Jasminka? Loves to eat a lot. We never run out of food since she’s always supplying us.”

“すごい! Akko beamed as she slipped into her foreign language, “They sound so cool! I’m really excited for my first day tomorrow! But anyways, when are we getting off?”

“Next stop. Spadina Station.”

Amanda hummed, then slowly faced the shorter girl and smiled blissfully.

Akko raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of her expression. “What is it? Did we miss our stop?

“That and I don’t remember what station it was.”

Akko nodded. “Well shit.”

_________________

Amanda O’Neill 

Birthday: 03/17/01

Grade: 11

Height: 5’7”

Programs: Dance

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

Nationality: Irish/American

Home: Texas, US

Likes: Soccer, Football, Hockey, Volleyball, Track, Video Games, Flirting, Girls™, Dancing, Public Transportation, Skateboarding

Dislikes: English, Math, Teachers, Diana, Barbara, Hannah, Andrew, Her Family, Her Hometown, Sitting Still 

Fun Fact!: Amanda knows how to pole dance. She chooses not to let anyone know how much power she truly holds over the lesbians in the academy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I… i’m so sorry if Andrew was… OOC?? I couldn’t bring myself to write him being douchy and Akko being oblivious of it gkfkgk. 
> 
> And yes, if you're wondering, I'm from Toronto! I'm awful at writing so I like to write stuff based on my experiences fkskdskf yikes
> 
> Here's a list of things I mentioned that actually happened:  
> 1\. My school likes to play Hooked on a Feeling in the morning, and the instrumental classes even played it at our last gallery event.  
> 2\. I have a friend with a cosplay tiktok account with videos with over 10K likes fskdfkkf  
> 3\. I've been in the subway before with either no directions and no service to have an idea on where to go, or my phone died. (I've also fallen asleep in the subway before and woke up at the last stop so that's,, that was fun,,,)  
> 4\. I,,, used to pronounce aristocrat like"artsocrat" or "aristrocat"


	4. First Day of Class

Sunday, September 2, 2018

12:56 PM EST

Diana

* * *

 Standing beside her mural, Diana tried her best to put on a smile convincing enough for the adults surrounding her. They asked her a variety of questions pertaining her piece—the concept behind it, any symbolism, and her inspiration. It was utterly exhausting.

She made a few references here and there, gesturing to other pieces in the exhibit, hoping they would find themselves entranced with one of Andrew’s piano pieces, but they insisted on observing hers as though they’re so enamored with her work. The heiress could see behind their true intentions that they only desired to speak with the daughter of the world renowned and not to mention, _deceased_ Bernadette Cavendish, famous for her work as an artist, as well as a doctor. She furrowed her eyes in irritation as she dismissed another question about her mother, asking politely if they would mind keeping their curiosity to themselves.

It was most likely the seventh question asked by a professor of a prestigious post-secondary art school when she noticed her roommates making their way towards her. She smiled at the sight of auburn hair tied up in a yellow bow and dark hair, then turned to the adults surrounding her piece, “As intriguing as your spring break program is, Sir, I must take the time to consider my decision. Now, if you excuse me, I must take my leave.” She said as she left them before they had the chance to response.

“Lovely afternoon, girls.” She smiled at the two, until she realized the annoyed expression her roommates had.

“We were talking to Andrew and he totally just dismissed us because the new girl in his class almost knocked his piece over!” Her raven-haired friend crossed her arms as she gestured towards the direction of a certain brunette.

Diana’s other roommate gripped at her auburn hair in frustration, “And despite how utterly disrespectful she is, he’s STILL talking to her!”

“Hannah. You’ve loosened your bow.” The blonde stated, and Hannah immediately let go of her hair in order to fix her yellow bow, before crossing her arms and huffing.

“But anyways, I heard she also got a tour by the new art teacher. How embarrassing is that?!” She grinned and nudged at the raven head by her side. “Babs overheard that she has a tik tok account too and was blabbering mindlessly about such a stupid thing to her.”

Barbara suppressed a laugh, “How humiliating. We should look for it and expose her or something.”

Diana raised an eyebrow at the unnecessary suggestion and shook her head. “I just dismissed a professor in order to speak with you both, and this is what you wish to discuss? I would prefer not to talk about Atsuko. I’ve had enough of her wasting my time.”

Barbara groaned, “And obviously not worth it, I get it, but why in the world is Andrew speaking to her?!”

The heiress glanced over at the two, and was slightly taken aback at the fact that a pair of crimson eyes were staring back at her. However, the brunette did _not_ expect her to notice and immediately averted her eyes..

 _When did those two get acquainted?_ She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight.

“Honestly, who the hell does she think she is?! She’s showing him her sketchbook now!” Barbara fumed.

Hannah glanced over to the two talking, “You think she’s into all that anime crap?”

“But isn’t Andrew into that stuff too?”

“No, I think Frank is, but even so, guys into anime can still be hot-”

“I mean, I always had a hunch you guys were secretly weeboos.” A familiar cocky voice said behind the two girls. Hannah visibly froze the moment she was interrupted and whipped around to face Amanda’s cocky smirk.

“O’Neill.” The blonde started, “I’m surprised you bothered to show up.”

“Yeah, didn’t get the memo your dance performance was  cancelled?” Hannah placed her hands on her waist as she glared up at the girl.

“Oh believe me, I’m well aware of how much it offended your sensitive asses but it’s your loss”, She winked at the shorter girl.

Hannah’s eyes widened before she stepped back to stand beside Diana and Barbara.  

“It was utterly provocative! What the hell’s wrong with you?!”

“Well at least it wasn’t a boring ass interpretive dance like yours, but go off.” She crossed her arms.

The heiress exchanged glances with Barbara as the two bickered. Though Diana had never witnessed Amanda’s planned performance for the kick-off, she recalled the moments in which Hannah had returned to their dorm from dance practice with cheeks almost as red as her hair. She wasn’t surprised her piece was called off the moment Finnelan overheard the shorter dancer ranting about how “unnecessarily sensuous” it was.  

“Listen, butch, we don’t want anything to do with you just as much as that new girl talking to Andrew. So would you mind flirting mindlessly with some other straight girls who’d never notice you?!” Barbara snapped at the athlete, who didn’t seem phased by her words. Instead, she continued smirking at them.

The blonde, on the other hand, internally cringed upon hearing how sour her roommate sounded as she mentioned the taller girl’s sexuality. She tried not to take much mind to it and set it aside.

“O’Neill, I believe it is best if you leave us be. I must admit, I am not in the mood of your antics today, and I do believe you want nothing to do with us as well. I advise you stay away from any unnecessary trouble before you find yourself expelled.”

Amanda snorted, “You guys are no fun. But you’re probably right. Finnelan’s been hounding at my ass since last semester and keeping a close eye on me… luckily not in the way I usually like most girls to do.” She winked at them once again. Diana noticed Hannah scowled at the action. “Anyways, I think Andrew’s done tryna pick Akko up, so if you excuse me-” She began to make her way towards the Japanese artist, before turning and shooting them a finger gun. “Good luck on your dance, Han.” She grinned mischievously.

Hannah groaned, “I swear to God, why am I the only one who has to put up with her every goddamn day. I wish she wasn’t in the dance program too!”

“They made such a stupid mistake letting her into the program. Probably the same one they made with the Akko girl too.” Barbara rolled her eyes.

Diana began to tune out the two as they talked about the self-proclaimed rebel and Akko, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched the brunette beamed as the athlete talked to her.

She couldn’t help but contemplate on the possibility of the Japanese girl being interested in the taller girl. She could care less if she ended up being enamored by Amanda, had she not taken a toll on one of Diana’s close friends. Though she doubt that was the case since she’s been holding off on her excessive flirting, especially being on her final chance. She watched the two interact closely, before glancing at Hannah, who was occasionally glimpsing at them as well.

_Hm… and I assumed my past with her was complicated._

* * *

Monday, September 3, 2018

First Day of Junior Year

8:15 AM EST

______________

Diana tugged at the end of her skirt, silently cursing herself for purchasing a new uniform shirt but having disregarded her skirt, assuming it was still a perfect fit. She sighed, acknowledging there was nothing to be done, as class was beginning in 15 minutes. The heiress made her way to Finnelan’s class, before saying a quick goodbye as she parted ways with Hannah and Barbara, praying no one would ogle at her semi-exposed thighs, and wondering _why in the world is there Minecraft music playing throughout the academy before the morning announcements._

She massaged her temple as she saw the brunette dozing off in the middle of class through the corner of her eyes. Already 20 minutes in, and Miss Finnelan had decided to move her to the front left corner in order to prevent the girl’s preposterous antics.

She couldn’t help but wonder, _Nines, what did she and Amanda do yesterday?_ As she stared, she also had to admit, she did appear quite… adorable in the manner in which she occasionally nuzzled into her hand as she slept. The sight as a whole was cute to begin with. In a matter of seconds, the blonde had absentmindedly sketched the sight.

When she noticed what she had done, Diana shook her head far too furiously than she desired before returning to her note taking. It was until Finnelan began her lecture on the significance of _Innocence to Experience_ that Akko had managed to wake herself up before bringing up her binder to… hide her phone as she scrolled through it?! The blonde rested her cheek in her palm as she huffed.

_Nines, what is she doing._

“Psst. Cavenbitch.” Whispered a not-so-subtle Amanda O’Neill.

The heiress raised an eyebrow as she looked towards the athletic girl seated at the opposite end of Akko, smirking back at her. She made an attempt to mouth something out to her, but it was inaudible. Diana frowned and furrowed her brows as she shook her head and returned to the lesson.

Suddenly, a piece of a crumpled sticky note came in contact with her cheek, resulting in a quiet groan from the blonde. She unfolded the note that said “Check ur insta ;)” on it. The blonde huffed and silently checked her phone beneath her desk.

_amanoeill: ;) whachu drawing_

Diana’s eyes widened when she saw the message and whipped her head up to face the sender, who simply smirked back at her. She turned back to her desk, immediately shutting her sketchbook and throwing it into her backpack, before quickly typing a response.

_dianacavendish: It is none of your concern._

In mere seconds, the blonde found herself distracted from the lecture as the two messaged one another.

_amanoneill: Barely 3 days in Canada and she’s already realizing the ‘nice people’ shitty stereotype isn’t true because of you lmaoo_

_dianacavendish: I would certainly show her more respect if she did so as well. I assume you told her about how “horrible” I am yesterday?_

Diana looked up for a moment to glance at the athlete, who stuck her tongue out before sending another text.

_amanoneill: maybe._

_amanoneill: but then again she did get a bit of a taste of it already <3 _

The blonde huffed.

_dianacavendish: I’d appreciate if you didn’t spread false information about me. Though I can care less considering this is Atsuko we’re talking about._

Diana looked up as Amanda slouched in her suit, looking at her phone for a moment before suddenly typing up a response.

_amanoneill: ok but all this arguing asides u gotta admit u’d hit that right._

Diana furrowed her eyebrows at her phone, confused.

_dianacavendish: As infuriating as another student may be, I will never sink as low as to physically harm them._

The blonde heard the girl with wild hair groan loudly, earning a glare from Miss Finnelan. Amanda continued when the attention was away from her.

_amanoneil: thats not what i meant asshat. I’m saying she’s hot af and you might wanna watch out, bc your sugar daddy was looking pre interested in her yesterday_

The heiress ignored the comment she made about Andrew and stared at the text with wide eyes and a blush slowly making its way to her cheek as she realized what the previous message meant, before whipping her head around to scowl at the fiery haired girl, who made an attempt to suppress her cackling with a hand against her mouth.

Sure, Diana acknowledged the brunette had a very… _striking_ appearance, but not once has she let such improper ideas slip into her thoughts. Maybe just when the rebellious girl mentioned it—but regardless of her attractive features, she was reckless, immature, and by the Nines, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

She glanced over at the Japanese artist who now had her notes out, but was doodling at the sides of the sheets. Her thoughts were interrupted and Akko jolted in her seat, dropping her mechanical pencil when Miss Finnelan started yelling at Amanda.

“MISS O’NEILL!”, the athlete’s cackling immediately came to a stop. “The audacity of you to be laughing mindlessly during my lesson… anything you wish to share to the entire class?”

“Sorry Miss, I couldn’t help myself. You _did_ just talk about how Sigmund Freud wanted to hook up with his own mom.” She grinned cheekily at the older woman. Diana rolled her eyes, before quickly catching up and writing down the notes she missed.

“Such crude humour… mindless crude humour interrupting my lesson”, Finnelan shook her head as she returned to the board.

The blonde looked back at Amanda who simply shrugged with a smirk on her face and returned to playing a game to her phone.

_Well at least Amanda was most likely not hitting on the new girl._

The heiress sighed and focused on Finnelan’s lecture, only glancing at the brunette girl when the bell rang and they started making their way towards the art class.

Diana was surprised the Japanese artist had forged somewhat of a bond with the new art teacher, despite having been told by her roommates. Though they seemed a lot friendlier than they had implied. She settled into a seat at the front as she watched Akko chat with Miss Callistis. The blonde furrowed her brows as she watched curiously, and raised a brow at the mention of _Ghibli Studio_. She hummed, somewhat surprised she was supportive of the animation studio as she had grown accustomed to more… traditional art instructors. Though, she did seem the type to be more open, considering Miss Callistis donned dyed blue hair, and was noticeably younger than most of the art teachers.

“So I heard you and the new girl are being friendly.” A familiar deep voice behind her suddenly brought her attention away from the two. The heiress sighed and turned to face Andrew Hanbridge, grinning smugly back at her.

“Hanbridge”, she began with a raised eyebrow, “I saw the two of you speaking to one another during the gallery yesterday. I assume she’s told you all about how friendly we are.”

Andrew stifled a chuckle. “Needless to say, I don’t believe you should ever host a welcome party.” He crossed his arms. “Didn’t see much of you over summer. Working more on photography back in the UK?”

Diana nodded, “Spent my time studying in England, France and Rome. I apologize for not taking the time to visit you while I was in London.”

The heir shook his head, “No need to say sorry. I doubt you even had time to relax yourself. Didn’t even take time to post any pics from trip. Your insta’s pretty dry.” He suppressed a chuckle.

Diana frowned, glancing down at her phone opened up on her instagram profile, realizing her last post was a picture of her teddy bear settled neatly on her bed. For some particular reason, it had achieved over 800 likes on it. “I’d like to think this is nostalgic.”

“It looks like it’s deteriorating.”

The blonde huffed, and rolled her eyes.

“By the way, your roommates were stalking my insta last night. Again. I got another like from one of them that was 52 weeks ago.”

“Well, they seemed rather… jealous you paid more attention to Atsuko.” Diana said.

Andrew shook his head. “Of course. I’m surprised they haven’t hounded at you too, considering how many people think we’re a thing”, he suppressed an awkward chuckle.

The blonde sighed. “Do _not_ remind me. Amanda made an utterly inappropriate comment earlier how she implied you were my… ‘sugar daddy’.”

The taller boy grinned, amused. “I might as well be with how much your aunt’s begging for my dad to purchase stocks.”

Diana shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I would very much like to not discuss my aunt’s dreadful business methods. How… is your piano progress? Are you perhaps still making attempts to hide a grand piano weighing nearly a thousand pounds at the estate?”

“Mm… Don’t need to. We still got the one from when we were kids that my dad likes having out as decoration. And I meant to mention this before, but It’s nice to see you again.” He smiled, and for a moment, Diana was genuinely touched.

“But you’ve got to stop acting like such an ‘arse’. New girl’s… intriguing and pretty cute. You should try getting to know her.” He winked at as he walked past her and got seated at a nearby table.

She huffed, _Not what I intended when I stated I didn’t want to talk about Aunt Daryl._

Diana clutched onto her lead pencil as she glared down at her sketchbook, ignoring Andrew’s last comment. As passionate as she was about art, a part of her wished she hadn’t been forced into the program by her aunt in a similar manner in which Andrew was by his father. She recollected the countless amount of nights she was yelled at to work on her portfolio. Quite frankly, there were way too many pieces in it at the end. At least she had the heir along her side who understands.

The blonde was looking forward to the next semester, considering she was finally going to be taking up photography class as an elective. Of course, she still had art class taking up another period as well, unfortunately. Being enrolled in an art discipline, it meant full commitment to the program, as year-round classes of your specialty is a must all throughout the 4 years of high school. And as comforting as it was to have the same classmates for art class for the entire duration of high school, that also meant having to cross paths with Akko every day until they graduate. And the way the brunette huffed as she walked by her after completing her conversation with Miss Ursula was quite off putting.

“I see you were able to find your way around the school just fine.” Diana said as she was about to make her way towards the seat beside Andrew. The shorter girl turned around with a scowl.

“Yeah, no thanks to a certain someone.”

The blonde frowned at her response, acknowledging not only did she leave the girl all alone in the art hallway, but also left her to figure out her way around the academy. She decided this may be the one instance the heir would ever be correct. She cleared her throat. “I apologize for my harshness. I must admit, I am relieved you were able to get to your classes without a problem.”

The brunette’s expression softened. Until Diana continued.

“It has also come to my attention that you were barely paying attention in English.”

Akko groaned. “There you go again. I don’t need you to lecture me for that.”

Diana raised an eyebrow. “I simply wanted to inform you that Miss Finnelan does not tolerate behaviour such as that.”

The brunette gave her a blank expression, then huffed before continuing to make her way to Andrew. It was then that she realized the seat beside his was already taken by a girl with curly dirty blonde hair, who Diana can recognize as a girl who profoundly dislikes her, Chloé. The blonde watched as the shorter girl noticeably cringed at the way she clung to his arm. The heiress couldn’t help but giggle at Andrew’s distasteful reaction.

Akko looked around the art class for an empty seat. Diana acknowledged the lack of seats last year and remembered they were scrambling to add more tables as well, so she doubt there was enough this year. The last seat remaining was the one next to herself.

The heiress sighed and cleared her throat to gain her attention. “Assuming there’s no other vacant seats, you may sit beside me. We don’t have to speak to one another.”

The brunette glanced her eyes to the side before hesitantly settling down beside the taller girl. She waved her hands sarcastically, “Wow, what an honour. ‘You may sit beside me’. I’m surprised no one’s jumping at the chance to sit beside you.” She muttered as she crossed her arms over the desk and laid her chin down.

Diana frowned at her reaction, “Well not everyone leaps at the opportunity of sitting at the front.”

Akko hummed, “Well yeah, me neither I guess.”

The blonde bit the bottom of her lip as she glanced around the class. Her classmates, having known the heiress since ninth grade, were already used to her presence and no longer ‘praised’ her the same way they had when they were freshmen. And Diana had scolded the few guys in the art class that used to flirt with her, just enough for them to leave her alone.

She took a glimpse at the girl seated beside her shifting in her seat as she pulled out a pencil case from her backpack.

Most of the people in class always had someone to pair up with. She’d partner up with Andrew more often if he didn’t frequently switch between different students. It was usually Chloé who’d try to ‘claim him’ for herself, but Louis Blackwell would occasionally snatch him before she had the chance. Diana often worked on her own, on account of the fact that her style worked best independently rather than in a collaboration. And she could care less about where she sat. As long as Louis was nowhere near her to make her uncomfortable. There weren’t any assigned seats anyways. And the tables were usually arranged in groups or a large rectangle. She was fine with it arranged in columns like it was at the moment though.

Diana glanced at Akko, who now had her sketchbook out on her desk, and watched as she held her phone on her left hand, referencing off a familiar redheaded cosplayer as she drew her face into the paper. For a quick sketch, her pencil strokes were impressively clean and smooth, it almost resembled the blonde’s lineart.

The heiress looked up at her face and couldn’t help but find the shorter girl remarkably adorable once again. As she concentrated on her doodling, Akko narrowed her eyebrows and bit on her inner cheek as she sketched.

Diana opened her mouth, about to compliment her skills, until Miss Callistis, who had left in a hurry to retrieve the supplies to hand out just earlier, returned with a trolley full of black sketchbooks and materials. The blonde watched as the blue haired woman nervously adjusted her glasses and stepped to the front of the class.

“M-Morning everyone! You may refer to me as Miss Callistis.” She began handing out the course information sheet, which, in all honesty, was most likely going to be discarded by most of the students. As you all are aware, I’ll be the new art instructor, seeing as Professor Woodward has retired.”

She fixed her glasses once again. “Now I understand you’ve all known each other since freshman year. But, please welcome your new classmate, Atsuko Kagari!” She smiled as she gestured over to where the brunette sat.

Everyone’s attention turned to Akko, who sheepishly smiled and waved around the class, then stood up. “I actually prefer to be called Akko!” She beamed.

The blue haired woman picked up a stack of the black textbooks and placed them on her and the shorter girl’s table. “Akko, would you like to pass around the research workbook to get acquainted with the class?”

The brunette nodded with a smile as she quickly picked up the stack and passed them around in a joyful manner.

Diana took one into her hands, then looked up, realizing the art teacher was in front of her desk, smiling at her.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Diana Cavendish. It’d be such an honour to teach you!” Miss Callistis placed a few materials on her table: a 2H, HB, and a 2B graphite pencil, as well as a kneaded eraser.

Diana smiled modestly, “Thank you, Miss Callistis, but I assure you, there is no need to feel privileged in teaching me. It’s an honour for me to be here.”

The blonde heard Chloé groan nearby, and was thankful Akko was chatting away with Blair and Mary and hadn’t heard her.

The blue haired teacher stepped forward, speaking softly, weary of the presence of the other students. “Please watch over Miss Kagari. I understand she doesn’t exactly have the two years of experience you all do, and I bet you’re perfectly capable of showing her the ropes.”

Diana was slightly taken aback by the request of the instructor, but touched nonetheless of the concern in her voice and expression for the new student. Though she acknowledged she didn’t exactly get along with the brunette, she could at least adhere to the older woman’s plea. It was only going to be in art class after all, correct? There’s no need to interact with her if it were not related to the class, whatsoever.

The heiress offered a gentle smile to the instructor, and agreed with a nod. “Of course, Miss Callistis.”

The older artist smiled back, before making her way around the class to continue handing out materials.

Once everyone received their own research workbook and materials, Akko returned to her seat, evidently excited as she was constantly fidgeting in her seat.

Miss Calistis then proceeded to announce their first assignment, which wasn’t all too significant. Just a simple mixed-media piece on this multimedia paper, accompanied with a concept of your choice. The class began their process stage; creating mind maps, searching up references, and coming up with stories. It was halfway through class that Diana took a glimpse at the brunette’s page that she realized she had just been sketching Chariot on her research workbook. She cleared her throat to gain her attention.

“I feel that I must inform you the workbook isn’t intended for mindless doodling.”

Akko grumbled as she continued drawing. “Thought we didn’t have to talk.”

Diana huffed, and was about to comment on her lack of regard for instructions, as Miss Callistis had _just_ stated it in the assignment’s introduction but instead, taking account of the instructor’s request, the blonde sighed, then pulled out her research workbook from her sophomore year in her backpack and placed it beside Akko’s on the table. “Its purpose is to provide evidence of the process of our pieces.” She flipped past pages.

The brunette glanced over at her works, then huffed. “But… it’s a sketchbook. I doubt we’re not allowed to draw on our sketchbook!”

“Be that as it may, you don’t want to take up too much space in the workbook. You should also begin planning on the mixed-media piece as well.”

Akko pushed herself in her seat away from table, arms crossed. “It’s not exactly my fault I had no idea what’s going on.”

Diana watched as the brunette pouted. For some reason, it reminded her of a puppy. _Not she was referring to her as a bitch or anything._ “I can assist you through the process.” She looked up at the brunette, “If you allow me?”

Akko looked at her hesitantly, and she could’ve sworn she saw her cheeks heat up in the slightest shade of red, before nodding slowly.

Diana pointed at her RWB, “We always begin with a mind map.” She gradually dragged her finger across the page to gesture to the bundle of words with lines connecting each one to another.

The shorter girl raised an eyebrow and brought her seat closer as she looked at the blonde’s pages. “What’s that?”

“It’s essentially a brainstorming chart.” She gestured to the diagram with words branching out to other words. “They lead to the concept, the meaning behind your piece.” The heiress quickly glimpsed at the girl beside her, blushing ever so slightly at the sudden proximity between them as Akko scooted closer.

She took a moment to observe the girl who basically invaded her personal bubble as she inspected the scribbles all over her own book. Diana took note of how professional Akko appeared in her school uniform—her tie was done properly to complete her white button up, with sleeves rolled halfway up her arms. The blonde couldn’t help but quickly glance down at her toned legs, realizing her navy skirt was hemmed, and were _profoundly_ short, and _Nines,_ exposed enough of her thighs. Especially as she sat cross legged.

The blonde made a mental reminder to inform the girl about her uniform infractions, but considering the fact that she herself was violating similar regulations, she’d just have to let the shorter girl know after she gets a new set.

She quickly cleared her throat and brought her focus back on her book before the brunette could notice, thankful the Japanese artist was distracted by her RWB.

“You begin by writing down the first thoughts you’re inspired by. For example…” The blonde glanced at Akko’s opened book, revealing a Shiny Chariot sketch. She pulled the brunette’s book in front of her and quickly scribbled down _Chariot_ , right below a heading at the top of the page that said _Mind Map._

“Then—“, Diana sketched a line branching from the name of her former idol. “Give me the first words that inspire you when you think about Chariot.”

Akko hummed, tapping her nails on the table a couple times before beaming. “Oh! I know. Magic, inspirational, mesmerizing!”

The heiress jotted them down on the page. “Okay then, what about emotions you feel regarding her or these particular words?”

The shorter girl furrowed her eyebrows then looked up at the ceiling as she concentrated. “Hmm… nostalgic? Motivated? Uh…”

Diana could tell she was hesitating. “It doesn’t always have to be positive. How do you feel about her...disappearance?” She raised an eyebrow.

Akko turned to face the blonde, brows furrowed, and for a moment, her expression was indecipherable.

The brunette slowly nodded, “I… I think I got it now.” She took one of her colourful mechanical pencils into her hand and pulled her research workbook closer to her, writing out words branching to words in silence with the same concentrated expression she plastered on earlier.

Diana smiled warmly as the girl focused on her concept. She turned back to her own plans, picking up her lead pencil before Akko muttered a soft “Thank you”. The blonde’s head whipped back to face the Japanese artist smiling as she scribbled into her book.

Diana brushed a strand of her green tea-blonde hair behind her ear as her smile grew wider, “My pleasure.”

The two continued on in their planning process in silence, content with the other’s presence. Akko listened to music on her phone through earbuds and used it to search up references. For a while, Miss Callistis came over to their table to explain what Diana had already taught the brunette. The blue haired woman informed her about how she’ll mark their assignments based on design, execution and the planning process, which requires evidence, then explained to the class that peer critiques must be completed every day starting tomorrow.

The Japanese artist turned to Diana. “Peer critiques?”

The blonde nodded, “Yes, we must exchange our concepts with another classmate and record their opinion regarding any suggestions they have and an aspect they like and wouldn’t change.”

Akko rubbed at the back of her neck sheepishly, “Huh… my mind map is kind of edgy, so having someone else look at them is kind of-“

Diana shook her head and pointed at her own mind map, reading a few examples out loud.

“Trauma. Isolation. War and devastation.”

The brunette’s eyes widened and she raised an eyebrow as she turned to the heiress’ book to reads its contents. She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “All that from ‘ _Tea’?!?!”_

The blonde nodded, giggling softly into her hand. “Yes, as I stated, write down the first words you think about. As outrageous as it sounds, it _does_ work. You’d be surprised at what Andrew comes up with for all his piano pieces… which I assume you’ve come across at least one at the exhibit yesterday.”

“Ah. I didn’t even see one. What’s a piano, anyways?” Akko grinned at her. Diana stifled another giggle before the brunette hummed, then looked to the side nervously. “Y’know…I never apologized for being a total pain yesterday—I mean—Saturday…”

The heiress watched as the shorter girl fiddled with her thumbs on her lap. Smiling softly, Diana shook her head. “It’s truly alright.”

“No I was being such a total _butthead_ ”, Akko slouched into her seat. “I thought you were going to be all prissy and act all mighty and better than people but-“

The blonde’s eyes widened and blinked, taken aback by the expectations of the brunette. “What makes you assume I give out that type of impression?”

The Japanese artist rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know, most shoujos usually have the pretty, popular girl as the antagonist and”

Another blink. And maybe a subtle blush.

“You think I’m pretty?”

“I-I mean most shoujo mangas or animes the rich girl’s always acting egotistical and-“

Diana raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she smiled fondly at the shorter girl.

“So you’re basing your real life experiences off of events that occurred in… fictional…novels?”

The brunette sheepishly grinned and nodded, and Diana shook her head playfully, with an amused smile.

“I apologize for that as well. I do admit, I was a tid bit extreme with my words, especially in regards to Chariot.”

Akko looked down at her lap, the bright expression suddenly diminishing, “Yeah but… you were right about them too…”

The blonde watched as the shorter girl averted her eye, feeling ashamed for the remarks she and her roommates had made about the artist.

“Maybe not all… but even so, it was unnecessary for me. If I had to admit, I was more mad at myself for leaving you with, what I presumed, no clue of where to go in the academy, than I was at you.” Diana said.

Akko glanced up at her, “I just… I’m really sorry for being annoying and disrespectful. ごめんごめん.”

The heiress smiled at her, and opened her mouth to respond, until the bell suddenly rang and the brunette immediately stood with her workbook in her hands.

“Ahh! Anyways… it was nice talking to you Diana! I gotta meet up with Lotte and Sucy!” She waved a goodbye to the blonde and headed off for her lunch.

Diana watched as the joyful girl skipped along with a smile she didn’t realize before this class would be a result of the whimsical girl, then gathered her things.

“I suppose your opinion on Atsuko has changed?” Andrew suddenly asked with a smirk on his face as he stood by her table.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at the tall boy. “And I suppose you were listening while Chloé was clinging onto your arm. I must admit, she’s very much not what I initially expected.”

He suppressed an awkward laugh, "I'm glad you two got along. Me, on the other hand... " He momentarily dulled his expression as the curly blonde haired girl walked by, growing visibly uncomfortable as she blew him a kiss.  "Yes... well, I must be on my way. See you later, Diana." He then waved a quick goodbye to her as he headed to the cafeteria. 

Diana pulled her bag over her shoulder and gazed at the doorway. 

_Now if only Hannah and Barbara were to change their perspectives on her as well..._

* * *

 

**Lotte Jansson**

Birthday: 09/06/02

Grade: 11

Height: 5’1”

Programs: Vocal, AP English

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Nationality: Finnish

Home: Oakville, ON Canada

Likes: Singing, Guitar, Piano, Musicals, Nightfall, Chick Flicks, Baking, Her Family, The Cold, Fanfictions

Dislikes: Intense Rap Music, Warm Weather,

Fun Fact!: Lotte's favourite genre to write is ~~smut~~ romance. And she's a very well known and popular fanfiction author for Nightfall fics, but no one knows considering how well she hides her internet persona. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes im so sorry for the rushed ending,,,
> 
> the day i wrote this, my school was fucking playing the minecraft theme in the morning.
> 
> and well, its the anniversary of Minecraft today fdjfsjfk
> 
> also ya this is basically what my class does at the start of every project,,, unfortunately I’m not friends with anyone in the Dance program, so I apologize if I’m super inaccurate whenever I write about it :( I do however have friends in the Vocal, Instrumental and Drama program so at least I can get some insight on what they do during classes fkfkf


	5. First Week of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite Amanda's warning about Diana, Akko continues to sit next to her during art class. Along with befriending Diana, she, Lotte and Sucy bond while taking the TTC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm not dead,,, yet,,,I'm dying over exams
> 
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! <3

  1. **WARNING: CHAPTER INVOLVES HOMOPHOBIC SLURS**



Monday, September 3, 2018

8:45 AM EST

Akko

* * *

 Thank God Akko wasn’t accepted into the academy based on her grades. Otherwise, whoever thought it was a good idea to let her into the school is a class A crackhead.

Akko shifted in her seat as she buried her face in her arms. ‘ _It’s so unfair how Finnelan had to separate Amanda and I and move us from the back to the front’_ , she sulked.  

She _hated_ sitting at the front. Not only would teachers be able to get a better eye on her, but she’d draw more attention to herself if she fell asleep or sketched in her notes. It was rather difficult to stop herself from drawing all over them, considering it’s the only thing she could do to keep her awake. Though it didn’t exactly help Finnelan’s opinion on her. English class was absolute hell, but it was an ideal place to draw and take a nap. I mean, Finnelan had to get tired of constantly waking her up and scolding her _eventually_ , right? Akko huffed as she fidgeted in her seat. It passed by like a breeze when she basically passed out during Finnelan’s lecture, but it was painfully dreadful to stay awake to.

 When she wasn’t unconscious during classes, the Japanese artist tended  to absentmindedly sketch stupid chibi figures with their mouths open in a similar manner to that of Pacman’s and ridiculous eyes that made them look as though they’re screaming in agony. Which is kind of what Akko was doing on the inside.

 _Why in the HECK is she teaching a lesson about incest?!_ Akko decided to just tune Finnelan out the moment she said something along the lines of a ‘Sigma Feud’ and wanting to have sex your mother.

 _Canadians are wild,_ She thought as she set aside her pencil to settle into a more comfortable position to nap in. Her and Amanda arrived quite late last night because they had no idea how to get back with their phones out of battery. Luckily, Amanda got her ice cream like she wanted and Akko got to waste nearly $50 CAD for literally only 4 copic refills. Amanda was shocked at the price. “What the fuck. You can get like… a shit ton of those scented markers with that. No wonder why artists are broke as fuck.” She stated on their way back.

 Akko stifled a small giggle at the recollection, before glancing over to the wild haired girl on the opposite side of the english class. The athlete paid no mind to the lesson either, and was rather distracted by her phone. Suddenly, she jolted in her seat and dropped her mechanical pencil as Finnelan paused her lesson to yell at Amanda, who was cracking up at her phone in her seat.

“MISS O’NEILL!”, Amanda’s snickering immediately came to a stop when Finnelan scolded her.

“Sorry Miss, I couldn’t help myself. You _did_ just talk about how Sigmund Freud wanted to hook up with his own mom.”

“Such crude humour… mindless crude humour interrupting my lesson”, Finnelan uttered under her breath, though she made what she said quite clear and loud enough for the students to hear.

Akko looked up at the exchange between the two and stifled a laugh as she went to pick up her pencil. She couldn’t help but feel eyes on her, bur maybe it was the way she leaned in her seat to pick her pencil up.

When the bell rang, the Japanese artist immediately made her way to art class, unable to hold her excitement through the wide grin on her face as she looked forward to seeing Ursula-Sens—Miss Callistis. Yikes, she’s gonna have to get used to the whole first name, last name thing.

“Morning, Miss Callistis!” She beamed at her navy-haired instructor as she skipped into the art class.

She smiled back at her, “Good morning Akko. I hope you had no trouble navigating yourself through the halls.”

“Yep, no problem at all thanks to you! _Arigatō_ Miss!”

“I’m looking forward to see what you’d be able to come up with this semester. How’s your first day so far?”

Akko grinned sheepishly, “Okay? I kinda fell asleep in Finnelan’s. I don’t think she likes me.”

Ursula chuckled, “She’s not exactly fond of everyone. Don’t worry about it. I only suggest you try to stay awake in her class.”

“Yeah...oof. Can’t exactly help it with her lectures being all weird.”

Miss Callistis stifled a laugh, “Oedipus complex right? I think that’s the only English lesson I remember back in high school.”

“Were you in the art program too, Ursula?”

The art teacher raised an eyebrow at the use of her first name.  “I-I mean Miss Callistis!” Akko flailed her arms about at an attempt to correct herself.

Ursula chuckled once again, “Yes, I was actually. Professor Woodward was not only my art instructor, but she was also my mentor.”

“That last art teacher who retired? You were mentored by her?!”

“I wasn’t exactly a prodigy. But yes. She offered me some guidance.” The older woman smiled.

“I didn’t get to ask yesterday, but since you went to Luna Nova when you were younger...did you by any chance know Shiny Chariot?”

Ursula’s eyes widened at the question. “Y-Yes...A-Actually-”

Akko interrupted her as she took a step closer on her tippy toes, dazzled at the idea of being taught by a friend of Chariot’s. “Was she as cool as she is on stage in school?!”

The navy haired woman raised an eyebrow at the beaming girl. “Sh-She was interesting, to say the least but I-I uh-”

“Did you ever get to see her practice?! It would’ve been so cool if-”

“N-No but-“

“Did she ever have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?! Or any significant others?!I don’t judge!”

“A-Akko!” She snapped just enough for the girl in front of her to hear, careful that the other students may raise a brow at them. “Please! Calm yourself. I understand how excited you are, but settle down, class is about to begin.”

Akko lowered herself from her tippy toes. “S-Sorry!” She grinned sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I got a little carried away at the idea of you being acquainted with Chariot. You know how much I look up to her.”

Ursula sighed, then smiled warmly at the young artist. “It’s alright, Akko. I can tell you about Shiny Chariot, but now’s not the time.” She gestured towards the desks, and Akko observed the class, acknowledging a few familiar faces. “You should go ahead and find a seat! We usually don’t have enough stools, I wouldn’t want you to be left out.”

The Japanese artist looked away from the seats—She could’ve sworn a certain blonde quickly looked away when she peeked over at her direction. _Probably being all judgy again._ She huffed before she turned to the direction of a dark haired boy, smiling at her direction. Akko smiled back before making her way towards him.

“I see you were able to find your way around the school just fine.”

Akko stopped in her tracks and turned to scowl at the British artist to respond to, what she assumed was a sarcastic comment. “Yeah, no thanks to a certain someone,'' she snarled.

She noticed a slight frown in the blonde’s expression. “I apologize for my harshness. I must admit, I am relieved you were able to get to your classes without a problem.”

_‘Huh. It wasn’t sarcastic.’_

Akko allowed herself to relax as her expression softened. She let out a silent ‘oh’ to herself before Diana continued.

“It has also come to my attention that you were barely paying attention in English.”

The brunette found herself growing tense again, then groaned. “There you go again. I don’t need you to lecture me for that.”

“I simply wanted to inform you that Miss Finnelan does not tolerate behaviour such as that.”

Akko stared blankly at her, finding it unbelievable for this girl to be so fixated over tolerance and behaving properly and all that crap. She huffed in response before making her way to Andrew once again, until she realized the seat next to his was taken.

By a girl with curly blonde hair who sat _a little too close_ to the poor heir, who was visibly uncomfortable at the close proximity as she blabbered about how she spent the summer travelling around the world. Akko watched as the girl turned to her direction and stuck a tongue out. _Yikes._

Andrew shifted in his seat and looked as though he was begging for help. The Japanese artist couldn’t help but stifle a laugh at the sight before she observed the classroom for empty seats. It turns out there was only one vacant spot. Beside Diana.

She hesitated as she made her way over to the platinum blonde, and gulped as she stood over the empty seat, fidgeting on the strap of her backpack.

Suddenly, Diana sighed, before turning slightly in her seat to the brunette. “Assuming there’s no other vacant seats, you may sit beside me. We don’t have to speak to one another.”

Akko gulped, observing the blonde as she turned back into her seat, focusing on the front of the class. Unlike the day she gave her a tour, her white button up wasn’t as tight, and was done properly, topped off with a an elegantly tied tie. _Seriously, it looks like a clip on. Of course_ _she’d tie it all prim and proper.’_ The brunette huffed as she sat on the stool next to Diana.

“Wow, what an honour. ‘You may sit beside me’. I’m surprised no one’s jumping at the chance to sit beside you.” Akko muttered sarcastically as she laid her chin against the table. She was irritated at the idea of her acting all high and mighty enough for her to ‘allow’ her to be seated somewhere. _So prissy._

“Well not everyone leaps at the opportunity of sitting at the front.” Diana simply stated.

Akko hummed, “Well yeah, me neither I guess.”  

It was a valid point. No one likes to sit at the front. But she also had to wonder. ‘ _Why was she sitting all alone? The teacher’s Miss Callisitis, and she seems totally chill, so it wouldn’t really be a problem to be at the front. And according to everyone who knows her I’ve spoken with, she’s a total queen bee and even had guys flocking over her.. Hmm, But then again, there were also the total buttwipes who despise her.’_

Akko shifted in her seat as she pulled her art supplies out of her backpack.

‘ _Well, this is going to be a long class.’_

* * *

11:41 AM EST

11 Minutes since Lunch Began

* * *

 “You wouldn’t believe it, Amanda! She was actually genuinely nice!” Akko slammed her hands on the cafeteria table. Though it didn’t attract attention from the other students in the room, seeing as it was extremely noisy, it was enough for poor Lotte to flinch and drop a spoonful of her mac and cheese, earning “watch your hands, you crackhead” from Sucy.

Amanda snorted, “My ass, she was, she was most likely looking out for her bony ass.”

The Japanese artist slowly settled down in her seat, offering a quick apology to Lotte and turning her attention back to the athlete. “No, I don’t think she was! It was kinda different from before, she seemed super sincere. And she even helped me out in art class!”

“Bullshit, man. She may be nice now, but don’t come crying to me when she gets all entitled and shows her true bitchy colours.” Amanda crossed her arms and slouched in her seat. “Look, man. It’s the first day of school, and I’d prefer not to

talk about Diana right now.”

Akko nodded, then immediately asked. “Where is she right now anyways?”

The athlete sighed, and Akko chuckled sheepishly. “She probably thinks she’s too good for the caf. And I don’t blame her, to be honest. It’s nasty as fuck, especially with all the tables talking. She heads out to the lake or to the bakery across the street with her roommates. Oh, and that bakery? So damn expensive.”

The brunette nodded, “Huh…” She hummed as she glanced around the cafeteria at the different cliques and groups. She wondered what Diana’s was like. Most likely with the girls she was talking to during the gallery. They were pretty, but nowhere near as attractive as her. Did they give off prissy vibes as well? But ended up being genuinely nice? Or are they totals jerkwads like Akko assumed Diana was?

Akko ate her pickled plums as she glanced over at the girl with wild hair seated across from her.

Amanda sat between her two roommates, one named Constanze Emily Van Brown-Akko can’t remember her full name if her life depended on it, who was currently on her laptop and refused to speak. Like. Whatsoever. It was understandable. She’s short, extremely adorable, and occasionally made small noises. Like a gremlin. _Not like the bad gremlin, like the cute soft kinds where-You get my point._

The other was a larger girl with pink hair named Jasminka. Amanda was not lying when she told her you can rely on her to supply you with snacks whenever you need. Her bag mostly consisted of them too. Asides from that, she’s extremely sweet and is literally always positive. Bless her soul.

Their trio was quite odd, considering it was made up of an athletic rebel, a mute(?) robotics genius, and a total angel. But despite all that, Akko could already tell there was a significant bond between them. She peaked at Sucy and Lotte and wondered if they could ever be as close as the three.

“H-Hey, so…” Lotte turned to the Japanese artist, almost as though on cue. “I’m actually visiting my family on Friday after school. They own a cafe and really want to see how I’m doing with...new roommates and all. W-Would you like to come?”

Akko beamed at her timid friend. “Of course Lotte!”

Lotte smiled back, “It’s not that far, but maybe a 30 minute commute. Is that fine?”

The brunette nodded, “Totally! Is Sucy coming?” She glimpsed at the pale girl seated beside Lotte eating a mushroom.

“Yeah, she’s coming.” The ginger turned to the Filipino and caught her attention with a smile. Akko noticed the chemist glimpse up, then avert her eyes to the side, silently grumbling.

Akko turned back to her food, grinning widely. She was looking forward to their first hangout.

* * *

 Friday, September 7, 2018

8:45 AM EST

Akko

* * *

 The rest of the first week of school went a lot better than Akko had ever expected. Unlike what Amanda had said, Diana has been nothing but nice to her. There’d occasionally be moments where she’d get all bossy or suggestive… _Suggestive as in the like-giving suggestions as to what not to do during English or Art class._ Amanda almost choked when Akko told her and she had to explain to her what suggestive _really_ meant. She should probably check her word choice.

English class was meh. They didn’t have a serious assignment until another week. And there was a new lesson every day in math class that she was barely able to stay awake to each time. Professor Badcock was incredibly boring. _Heh...badcock. Bet she has a bad co-_

Anyways, her fourth period class was Chemistry—why she’d chosen that as her elective, she has no idea. But apparently Diana’s in the third period chemistry class so she’d be able to help Akko out with some concepts she’s struggling with.

She could’ve gotten help from Sucy. Actually, no, she couldn’t. Sucy specifically told her she’s not going to help her with chem. Whatsoever.

In art class, Akko decided her concept was going to be inspired by Chariot’s disappearance, and the negative opinions regarding her career. How despite how many people opposed of her art or believed she was a fraud, she continued to strive above the negativity. And that regardless of her lack of appearance for the past year, her works continue to bring happiness to others.

Akko decided to have a colour scheme of red, white, navy and gold--the colour schemes Chariot used for most of her pieces. Diana might have made a comment or two about changing it up a bit to be more original. The Japanese artist didn’t think too much about it. She knew she meant well. She was going to have different shades of the colours to contrast from Chariot’s style.

When her concept was approved and she was able to begin her piece, she decided on using her copic markers to do the job. Kinda pricy, but she had enough ink. She peaked over to Diana’s sketch of a silhouette inside a teacup with the liquid inside pouring out due to cracks on it. Akko had to admit, the concept behind it was amazing. Probably based off a personal experience, but she didn’t want to ask while they were newly friends?...art buddies?... acquaintances???

Whatever they were, it wasn’t exactly her place to ask, especially since Diana didn’t question hers.

Although...Akko had asked Diana if she wanted to join her at lunch on Wednesday. And asked about her friends and roommates, to which she mostly tried to avoid. Was she...perhaps embarrassed of them finding out she was associated with the Japanese artist?

“You’ve done a remarkable job so far, Akko.” Diana said, bringing Akko back to reality.

“Oh, thanks a bunch Diana! Yours looks so awesome too!” She beamed at the blonde beside her, who smiled back and returned to watercolouring her piece.  

The brunette shifted in her seat and slowly allowed her cheek to rest against the table, as to not interfere with the blonde’s strokes of her brush by making the table shake. Silently, she watched as the heiress paint.

_‘Huh, I wonder what really inspired this. And the mural outside. And how did she ever get into art?’_

Akko slowly looked up to examine the features on the blonde’s face. She was _extremely_ attractive. And not in a gay ‘Oh my God please pin me against the wall and demolish me’ kinda way, if anything she was more envious of her stunning appearance. Or… _huh, difficult to tell._

Akko couldn’t help but think about Diana’s friends and how she hasn’t spoken much about them. The brunette was never the observant type, but even she could Diana Cavendish is the complete opposite of Atsuko Kagari. She’s the Grade 11 rep of student council, the secretary’s assistant, the top honour student since freshman year, and somehow she was also heiress of the Cavendish household. Why would someone as elegant and smart as Diana ever want to be associated with a nobody like herself...maybe that’s why Diana seems to avoid her outside of class?

She didn’t realize she was absentmindedly staring at the blonde’s face when sapphire eyes gazed back at her.

“A-Akko! You should be working on your art!” The heiress raised an eyebrow at her, with slightly flushed cheeks.

The brunette shifted in her seat and nuzzled her face into her arms. “Gahhh, I’m just so tired! And the deadline is next Thursday!” She groaned.

Diana sighed, shook her head, and continued watercolouring. “Be that as it may, you should stay focused.”

Regardless of what Diana said, Akko took out her phone and rested her chin against her free arm. Bored, she scrolled through her instagram feed and came across a few short videos she couldn’t help but stifle a laugh to.

Once again, Diana scolded her. “Akko! You shouldn’t allow your device to distract you during class!”

Akko giggled and angled her phone so that Diana could see as well. “Awh c’mon, loosen up! Just check it out, it’s so funny!”

The blonde squinted as she turned her attention towards the iPhone that displayed a video of a cute corgi dog with flower petals falling in slow motion. Even Diana couldn’t help but smile at the cute sight. It was until a stick fell on the dog that it made a surprised expression in slow-mo that the blonde suppressed a laugh as well.

“I wasn’t expecting that.” She shook her head with a smile.

Akko scrolled down to a few other posts to humour Diana, and after a few minutes of stifled giggles and cute smiles, the heiress pushed the phone away from her direction, her cold and serious demeanour returning.

“Alright, as entertaining as this is, we must work on our pieces! So...please refrain from distracting me.” She said as she turned back to her artwork.

Akko huffed, “Fine! But before you get all focused again!” She turned her phone back to the blonde. “What’s your instagram?”

The blonde looked back at her again. “I-I beg your pardon?”

“Your instagram.” Akko  grinned, “Let’s add each other!”

Diana’s mouth slightly parted and she blinked

“Mine is atsuko.craigslist! What’s yours?” The brunette beamed.

Diana covered her mouth with a hand as she giggled into it.”What kind of username is that?”

Akko pouted, “Pssh, it’s creative! I bet yours is just your name!”

The blonde shifted in her seat and put her watercolour brush down with a huff. “Perhaps it is.”

The Japanese artist hummed and searched up “Diana Cavendish” on the search bar. No surprise, her username _was_ her full name. Her profile was pretty basic. It consisted of a few pictures of some sceneries and wasn’t as popular as she thought. It was but she'd expect someone like her to have over 10K or something. She had maybe around 6000 followers, and the last post was of a teddy bear with around 3K likes on it.

“Hmm… don’t post much do you? Do you have an art account?”

“Of course not!” Diana replied a little too quickly.

Akko clicked onto one of her posts and began to scroll down, realizing none of them even have captions. “Jeez, are you some type of insta-grandma?” She snorted at her own wordplay.

Unamused, Diana sighed as she took out her own phone and followed the brunette back. “I’m not particularly fond of social media.”

Akko peaked over at her as she scrolled through her photo gallery, which had a ton of pictures of scenery. “But you do take a lot of pictures. And they’re really nice! You should post some!”

The blonde immediately pulled her phone close to her, cheeks flushed. “Thank you, but I’d rather not.”

The Japanese artist crossed her arms, “Well fine. You don’t even have a spam account?”

Diana blinked, then shook her head. “There is no need for me to be uploading mindless posts.”

“Well your posts right now seem to be mindless already. No offense…”

The heiress rolled her eyes as she set her phone aside. “Now that we’ve followed each other, _please_ just focus on your piece. Miss Callistis may be understanding but we should respect her class time and not take advantage of her kindne-A-Akko?!”

As the blonde was scolding her… once again… Akko shifted in her seat as she raised her phone to find an angle that would fit the two for a selfie together.

“Just one last thing before I work on my art, I promise!” She said with a grin.

“A-Akko! I-“ Diana fumbled with the paintbrush in her hand.

The brunette’s grin immediately faded away as she looked at the taller girl with concern, bringing her phone down. “If it’s alright with you?”

Crimson eyes gazed back at worried sapphire blues and she watched as they began to relax. The heiress nodded, “Alright, but just one.”

Akko grinned widely as she raised her phone once again and snapped a photo when Diana smiled back at the camera.

In an instant, the shorter girl looked at the photo, unable to contain her happiness at how _adorable_ they looked. _And that says a lot, especially with her low self esteem._ She held her phone so that Diana could see as well. “There. Cute right?!”

The blonde nodded with a smile. “Yes. Now, I believe you made a promise?” She gestured towards the brunette’s piece.

Rolling her eyes, Akko continued working on her art while listening to music, and _occasionally_ glancing over to the girl beside her.

_She’s really nothing like Amanda says._

* * *

4:16PM EST

1 Hour and 46 minutes since school was over

* * *

 The day she and Amanda had their little expedition with public transportation was _nothing_ compared to her commute with Sucy and Lotte. The bus on the way to the subway station was _way_ too overcrowded that they had to stand the entire time. Akko didn’t have much of a problem, considering she was used to it anyways.  

Lotte felt horrible, especially since they’ve been making their way to her café for over an hour, when it usually took 30 minutes. Though, it was a Friday, and rush hour, nonetheless. So Akko completely understands.

The train cart was slightly better, but that was on account of the fact that Lotte’s stop was far ahead and more and more people were getting off their stops prior to it, allowing them to sit down and chat amongst themselves.

“Anyways, I have no idea how we were even able to find our way back!” The brunette giggled as she recollected her journey with the athlete.

“Well if you pair dumbasses together, what can you expect?” Sucy mused with a monotone expression.

“Sucy!” Lotte scolded, and Akko pouted.

The Filipino cackled, then continued, still deadpan. “Are you sure she wasn’t hanging out with you just to hit on you? Was that a date or something?”

Akko shifted in her seat across from Lotte and Sucy, slightly taken aback by the pale girl’s question. “Of course not! We just met! A-And we’re both girls! Doesn’t she have some kind of jock boyfriend or something? I overheard her talking about how hot this 12th grader Cam dude is!”

Lotte and Sucy stared blankly at the oblivious girl.

The chemist inhaled as she clapped her hands together and pointed them at Akko. “Cam’s the athletic rep of student council. The female rep. Amanda’s a full blown lesbian, you idiot.”

Akko’s mouth immediately parted. “I… I thought she was American…”

Lotte ane Sucy laughed at Akko’s reaction. In all honesty, Akko didn’t see it. Amanda didn’t really give off gay vibes. Sure, she was athletic, and had short hair, and… tended to wear flannels a lot. But so do straight girls. Right?

Sucy scoffed and leaned into her seat, “You’re that dumb to not realize? She’s like, your stereotypical dyke.”

Lotte shuffled beside her, and leaned up from her position, slightly startled with the Filipina’s choice of words.

“Maybe not… use that word?” The timid girl said quietly, concerned those nearby might have overheard.

The chemist glanced at her and huffed. “Why not? Perfect word for her.” She stifled a laugh,

Akko peaked over to the ginger, who, to her surprise, was tearing up. “L-Lotte!” 

Sucy’s expression immediately shifted as she turned to her friend, concerned. “Lotte?”

Lotte sniffed and took her glasses off in order to wipe a few tears. “I-I’m fine… don’t worry about me.”

“Sucy!” The brunette scolded as she glared at the chemist.

Sucy shook her head as she turned to her roommate. “Lotte, I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings!” Sucy glanced to the side and noticed a few people were looking in their direction. She lowered her voice to her friend. “I just… I didn’t know you were a lesbian…”

The vocalist offered a weak smile as she wiped another tear before putting her glasses on. “I’m not… actually.”

“Oh?” Sucy and Akko simultaneously leaned back into their seat.

”I’m… bi…” She whispered, averting her eyes.

“Oh.” Her two roommates repeated.

“I’m just… you’re not… homophobic, are you?” She hesitantly asked as she looked up at Sucy.

“Of course not… I’m…” The chemist looked to the side. “I’m actually asexual… and I really am sorry. I didn’t stop to think about the word.”

Lotte placed a hand on Sucy’s arm, “It’s okay! As long as you’re not being homophobic.” She chuckled weakly.

“Hey, if anything, that’s awesome! I wasn’t planning to come out to you guys, but I’m pan!”  Akko beamed at the two, who looked at her for a moment before laughing. The artist furrowed her brows in confusion. “What?”

“We know already.” Lotte giggled.

Akko jolted up from her seat. “Wait, what?! How?!” She glanced around and realized she caught the attention of others nearby. Clearing her throat, she slowly sat back into her seat.

“Akko, you keep provocative posters of Shiny Chariot. And you told us about how hot this one anime boy was.” Sucy deadpanned.

“Plus… you have a pan sticker on one of your sketchbooks…” Lotte added. “I thought the reason Sucy treated you the way she did was because of that, actually, so…”

“Don't worry, I treat her like ass because she’s Akko.”

“Hey!” Akko pouted.

The ginger chuckled, then leaned her head against the wall. “But anyways… my parents don’t know. So… don’t say anything about it, alright?”

Akko and Sucy nodded. “We won’t!” The brunette beamed at her. “And I’m really glad you told us, Lotte! I know how… nerve racking it is to come out, so… I feel honoured.”

“Honestly, you guys are the first I told I’m ace… like, ever.” The Filipina shifted in her seat.

The timid girl looked out the window. “I’m just really happy you guys are so supportive compared to my last roommates. Oh, and our stop’s coming up. Shall we get up?” She turned to her friends with a soft smile.

Akko couldn’t help but feel warm inside. She never thought about coming out to her roommates. But after doing so, words could never describe how grateful she is for her accepting friends. She could only wonder what Lotte’s old roommates were like...

* * *

**Sucy Manbavaren**

Birthday: 12/31/02

Grade: 11

Height: 5'4"

Programs: AP Chemistry

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Lesbian Asexual

Nationality: Filipina

Home: Manilla, Philippines

Likes: Ube Roll Cake, Ube Ice Cream, Chemical Reactions, Turon, Lotte, Halo Halo, Baking  
Dislikes: Diana, Amanda, Public Transportation, _Everyone except for Lotte_

_Fun Fact!: Sucy loves baking ube rolls! However, Akko’s suspicious of their purple colour, which Sucy reassures is “just a secret ;)”. As a result, Akko refuses to eat it, which meant more for Lotte._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to @toastyloafybread on instagram, whose username used to be @atsuko.craigslist !! I love her with all my heart uGh https://instagram.com/toastyloafybread?igshid=opycxq4snolx
> 
>  
> 
> I’m so sorry for the late update! I’m horribly slow at writing, and with exams and assignments and l i f e,,,, well,,,, i’m supposed to be studying right now rip. But anyways,,, the way Akko absentmindedly sketches weird Pacman shit? BET I do that a lot as a way to not fall asleep kdkgdkdg
> 
> Also,,,, Sigmeund Freud’s Oedipus complex is part of Canada's high school curriculum, but in 10th grade. Right now, my school does native studies for 11th grade rather than a normal English course, and I was initially planning to incorporate a bit of it, especially to spread awareness of the horrible treatment of the Indigenous community,,, but… i didn’t know how. I’m so sorry :((


	6. Concepts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana reflects on how her roommates treat others, especially Akko, who she's growing close to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i thought i was just slow at art turns out im slow at everything else including wRitInG 
> 
> Leave a review to let me know what you think of the fic so far! Or leave suggestions or critiques below!

 

**Warning: Minor Homophobia**

Friday, September 7, 2018

11:41 AM EST

Diana

* * *

 

Gazing at the message displayed on her phone, Diana couldn’t help but allow a smile to sneak its way on her lips. She had just settled into the corner of a couch inside Last Wednesday Society when she received a notification from a certain brunette on Instagram. She glanced to her Hannah and Barbara talking to one another as they decided on what to order, before carefully checking her DMs.

**_11:35AM_ **

_atsuko.craigslist:_

                                                              

_atsuko.craigslist :lol i thought u might want it :33_

They did, in fact, look cute in the photo Akko took. The blonde smiled warmly as she saved the photo into her camera roll.

_dianacavendish:Thank you, Akko. I hope you enjoy your lunch._

She quickly sent the message before setting her phone aside when her two friends seated themselves on the couch. 

Her auburn haired friend shifted in her spot beside Diana as she held a breakfast sandwich in her hands. “What were you smiling about Diana?” Hannah nudged at Barbara to her right with a grin.

“Don’t get excited. She was probably reading new posts from that account with new facts every day.” Barbara giggled.

Diana rolled her eyes and took a bite out her panini. “It’s nothing of significance. And certainly not what you’re thinking.” 

“Seriously, Diana, next year we’re going to be seniors. How hasn’t anyone been good enough for you yet?” Her auburn haired friend asked.

Barbara turned to the blonde as well, “Not that being single sucks, but we’re just really surprised you’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

The blonde put her sandwich down, “I’m not particularly interested in romance. As you’re already aware, I have too much on my mind to be concerned about something so unnecessary”. 

Diana had to admit, the thought of romantically being involved with someone sounded like a thrilling experience. But then again, it was quite difficult to come across an individual to even be attracted to, let alone have that attraction reciprocated. Perhaps everything would’ve been much simpler if she liked guys. And if her last name wasn’t Cavendish. At least she doesn’t have to stress about heartbreak or rejection. Asides from that, she truly didn’t have enough time to worry about romance with all her council work and volunteering. 

“You should at least be interested in someone.” Hannah’s voice pulled the blonde out of her thoughts. “Obviously not Andrew though. Too bad you can’t join Babs and I whenever we’re gushing over him.” Her roommate said as she gazed at her phone, sighing contently at a photo Andrew just posted of himself.

Diana raised an eyebrow as she took out her phone and opened instagram. To her dismay, the heir’s post was the first in her feed to show up. She merely rolled her eyes at the sight of him in a simple tee and dark purple flannel before putting her phone away.

“He seriously did that.” Barbara murmured. “He’s so hot in a flannel. Too bad lesbians basically claimed them as a sign of being gay”, she huffed as she took a bite out of her muffin. 

While Hannah suppressed a laugh, Diana remained silent. 

“I’m just surprised you used to be friends with someone like Amanda.” The dark haired girl nudged at Hannah, who cringed in response.

“Honestly, don’t remind me. You should feel lucky you’re not stuck in the same class with her for all of high school.” The dancer crossed her arms as she leaned into the couch.

“Oh believe me, she’s capable of bothering anyone even if she doesn’t have a class with them. I saw her hitting on Avery yesterday in the halls. God, it was terrible.” Barbara shook her head. 

The blonde noticed the sudden change of expression in her auburn haired friend. For a moment, she seemed hurt, until she shook her head and furrowed her brows. “I’d assume so. What kind of ridiculous crap did she even say to the poor girl?”

“Something about how she wanted to give her ‘private dance lessons’. God, those lesbians are annoying.” Barbara rolled her eyes. 

“And-...what did Avery say?” Hannah hesitantly asked.

Diana set aside the sound of distaste in her friend’s voice at the mention of lesbians, “Perhaps we discuss another topic unrelated to Amanda O’Neill for the time being?”

Hannah took another bite out of her breakfast sandwich. “Yeah, before I lose my appetite.” 

Barbara rolled her eyes, “Alright, fine. Back to romance…” She smirked at the two. 

Diana, well aware they were going to change the topic back to her love life (or lack thereof one), could do nothing but pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh in slight annoyance, before nodding in defeat. “What about it?”

“If not Andrew… what about Frank?” The raven haired girl asked.

Beside her, Hannah couldn’t help but crack up at the idea. “Frank is totally not her type!” 

Barbara shrugged, “He could be? He’s a gentleman, intelligent, has a great sense of humour, and rich. He’s basically a dreamboat.” 

The dancer hummed as she tilted her head. “Then why aren’t we into him?”  

“Well, he’s not really that attractive appearance wise in comparison to Andrew. What about Louis?” Barbara tapped at her chin.

“But he’s such an asshole!”  

“Hmm, true. But in all honesty, he’s so damn hot.” 

“Agreed.” The auburn haired girl nodded, then she her head to the side as she remembered how attractive the blonde boy was.

“Girls!” Diana snapped the two back to reality as Barbara and Hannah immediately turned back to her with wide eyes. “I would _very_ much appreciate it if we set aside romance as well.” 

The two looked back at the blonde apologetically and lowered their heads in shame. “We’re sorry, Diana.” They said in unison.

The heiress sighed as she finished off her sandwich and leaned back into the couch. They sat in an uncomfortable silence as Barbara and Hannah ate the rest of their lunches, until Diana cleared her throat. “So...how was everyone’s first week?” 

Hannah was the first to respond with a shrug. “In all honesty, a little underwhelming. I feel like Summer was just a weekend, and now I’m so accustomed to all this work again.” She smiled weakly, before pouting her lips in annoyance. “Amanda’s pretty much the only problem I’ve been having.” 

“Mm, same here. During second period, Miss Finnelan was ranting about Amanda and her unnecessary comments. But we said we weren’t going to talk about that nuisance so—“ Barbara cleared her throat as she glanced back at the blonde. “How was yours?”

“I suppose it has been… more enjoyable than expected.”  Diana looked to the side and smiled at the thought of the whimsical brunette. 

“Really?” Her roommates tilted their head to the side at her statement.

Barbara raised an eyebrow, “Hmm, You’re always cooped up in the dorm studying or busy doing student council stuff, but I guess we all have something we enjoy.”

“What have you been up to lately, Diana?” Hannah asked.

Diana smiled, “Same as usual. I do, however, have an art project due next Thursday, so I suppose it’ll take up more of my time after school if I want it submitted early. What about dance class?”

Hannah sighed, “Well, we haven’t done anything as interesting, to be honest. At the moment, Nelson’s been reviewing us on ‘the historical and cultural development of dance’ before we start our first actual assignment. We have a test tomorrow, but I’m so looking forward to being able to come up with my own routine!”

Barbara sighed, “You guys are lucky you’re in the art program. Meanwhile, I’m stuck suffering in AP English!”

“Perhaps you should be grateful you don’t have 2 courses a year taken away.” Diana said. It’s certainly unfortunate, especially as her and her auburn haired friend had to take courses every summer just so they can earn their credit for the required courses in order to graduate. Whereas their schedules were filled up, Barbara had the luxury of having a spare period.

“Right, sorry about that.” Barbara looked at the two apologetically. 

The three sat back into their seats as they took out their phones to scroll through their social media. Unlike the blonde, the other two were obsessed with their online status. Though they’re not as popular as the heiress, their accounts were pretty decent... and consisted of the most basic posts with your typical selfies and ‘heartwarming’ captions. It was enough for the two of them to have around a thousand followers, most of which are from Luna Nova Academy. 

Diana never really cared for her online status. Somehow she managed to have almost 6000 followers doing nothing but post random sceneries and her bear plush without the need of a caption. Needless to say, it was all due to her status as a Cavendish. Her secret art account, however, could not compare to her personal account, and she was fine with it. 

Having approximately 200 followers on _thatspreposterous_ , with posts barely going past 20 likes, the blonde was content with the lack of recognition of her account, considering she was able to post whatever she liked. Whether it was simple realistic sketches she’d do during classes, or random doodles of girls in her favourite shows being… 100% platonic friends. _thatspreposterous_ was essentially her escape from the ideal image of a Cavendish. Hopefully, no one would ever connect her to the account. 

“Oh my God, girls, have you seen this account?!” Barbara jolted up from her position on the couch, immediately pulling the heiress from her thoughts and startling her. 

Nervously, Diana swallowed as she slowly set her phone to the side. “Is there… a problem?”

Immediately, the dark haired girl angled her phone so the blonde and their other roommate were able to see. 

Diana could feel a drop or two of sweat trickling down her face as her eyes focused on the screen in Barbara’s hands. 

Fortunately, the account wasn’t hers. It was, in fact, Akko’s. The blonde’s eyes widened as her roommate scrolled through the brunette’s account with over 500 posts.

“She has the most random posts, Oh my God.” Hannah snickered as Barbara pressed on a post of her.

 “Look at this crap”, Barbara scoffed as she read the caption of a fairly recent photo with Akko hugging a large Totoro plush. “‘Studio ghibli marathon xD”, her roommate quoted in a high pitched voice that was _so not Akko._ “I mean, who even uses ‘xD’ anymore?” 

“Hey, look at that one, the recent one of her with her roommates”, Hannah gestured to a photo of Akko with her arms around Lotte and Sucy, laughing with string cheese all over them, “Oh my God, I feel so bad for those two to have to deal with her.” 

“Yeah, but aren’t they as weird as her?” Barbara swipes to another post. The blonde remained quiet.

The two laughed as they continued scrolling through her profile. Diana was relieved they didn’t question her silence, but they were well aware the blonde was not fond of talking about others in this manner. She cleared her voice in order to gain their attention. 

“Perhaps we start making our way to class?” She stood up and quickly glanced over at her phone to check the time, praying that it would align with her poor excuse to prevent her roommates from criticizing her new friend?-acquaintance?? “The lunch period is over in almost 10 minutes, so I suggest we start moving.” 

Putting her phone in her pocket and sighing in defeat, Barbara nodded. “Fine. But is there any reason you’re following her account?” 

“Probably to keep tabs on her with all that she posts. I’ve seen her looking at you and trying to say hi to you in the halls”, Hannah said as she gathered her things and stood beside Diana.

The blonde sighed, and, although there was really no need to lie—technically it’s not a lie but simply setting aside some minor details—she was not at all ashamed to be the brunette’s…acquaintance… she couldn’t help but find it the simplest decision. So she shrugged.

“She asked me to during art class today.” 

It was probably not the best response, seeing as Barbara and Hannah looked at one another and scoffed.

 “She really feels the need to assert herself like that, huh?” Hannah shook her head.

“God, what’s wrong with her. Honestly? She probably wants more attention. Now, come on, we should get to class.” Barbara nudged at Diana with a grin before walking ahead of her with the auburn haired girl.

The heiress could do nothing but follow behind, nodding weakly and making an attempt to drown out their voices by putting on her airpods. Maybe she’d explain her relationship with Akko one day. They wouldn’t understand now, anyways.

* * *

 

Thursday,  September 13, 2018

10:12AM EST

* * *

 

The week went by rather quickly as Diana and Akko continued to work on their first pieces beside one another. Often, they’d find themselves distracted for a moment or two to scroll through utterly _ridiculous_ posts on instagram. But, it was nice—being able to relax for a short while and focus on something else rather than her art.

The two would also occasionally message one another in Instagram. Diana nearly yelled at her in English class on Tuesday because she had received a godawful meme from her at 4:27AM. It turns out Akko has an awful sleeping schedule, which the blonde is desperately hoping is due to the significant change in time zones. The brunette, however, kept her mouth shut and refused to answer when questioned whether or not her sleeping habits were like this when she was in Japan. She’ll most likely ask about it again one day.

Diana peered over to the brunette beside her, whose palm rested against her cheek as she added the final touches to her piece. She noticed her yawning a few times in class, and shook her head at the thought of her not getting enough sleep again. 

The blonde turned to her nearly complete water-coloured piece, gently pressing along her work with a thin brush to add minor details. Though her written concept regarding her art entails that it is inspired by the significance of tea in her life—having been something she’d indulge herself in to de-stress or feel better about something in particular, she left out the most crucial aspect that brought upon such an idea; her mother. 

She recalled the times she was in distress—when she was ridiculed for her passion for a certain popular artist, or when her cousins poked fun at her for having an interest in anime, and et cetera, her mother always found a way to bring out a smile in the young heiress with something as simple as sitting down to have tea with her. It warmed Diana’s heart with how her mother was willing to set aside all the work she had just to make her feel happy. 

Carefully, Diana added her final details before leaning back and taking in her work. Gazing at the piece that revealed a woman sitting in a broken teacup, pouring out galaxy-like liquid, she smiled. And for a moment, she grew warm at the thought of her mother being proud of her, despite the fact that she set aside important details in her written concept. But she knew her mother would understand. After all, it’s something she wanted to keep for herself. Just this once. 

“Wow, Diana it turned out amazing!” Akko gushed beside her, pulling the heiress out of her thoughts. She turned to the brunette with a smile.

“Thank you, Akko. And yours as well.” She glanced over to her piece. It was quite fascinating how it gave off a Chariot aesthetic with her colour scheme, but also seemed original. She couldn’t quite place a finger on the concept, aside from the fact that it was inspired by Chariot. It displayed the back of a girl in a hoodie with paint marks tainting various spots all over her attire, standing over a dark wall with spray paint and paint cans lying around her. Through the darkness, was a luminescent pair of gold wings on the wall with small splatters spread around. It was a spectacular piece, even Diana acknowledged how proud the brunette was of it.  

How Akko was able to pull this off with copics and watercolours, Diana had no idea. Needless to say, she worked incredibly hard on it.

“Thanks!” The girl in question beamed. “I made it with my own blood, sweat and tears...lots of tears.”

“I-...” Diana quickly glanced at her, before suppressing a small laugh at what she had said. “I would believe so.”

Akko grinned as she looked at her piece. “Welp, I’m done, and you seem like it too. Wanna watch a stupid Tik Tok compilation?” She pulled out her phone and turned to the heiress with a smile. 

The blonde glimpsed at the phone in her hand, then turned her attention back to...almost glistening crimson eyes. “Well…since we are essentially complete…” Diana peered over to the pieces on the desks. “Perhaps… you tell me about your concept instead? I realized I’m not particularly aware of the meaning behind it.”

The Japanese artist hummed, then set her phone to the side. “I guess these Tik Tok memes will just have to wait. Uhhh, give me a second, it’s hard to…sum it all up in words, y’know?”

Diana nodded, before smiling as she shifted in her seat to face the shorter girl.

“Anyways, you know how big of a fan I am of Chariot. You could already tell it’s a part of the concept, but it’s also kinda like…” Akko gazed at the girl in her piece, biting her lip as she contemplated on how to describe it. “Crap, I had it all written in my artist statement days ago, it’s just hard to explain.”

The blonde didn’t even realize she was tilting her head as she smiled at the sight of the girl explaining her piece. “Take your time.”

Akko nodded feverishly before she continued. “Well, with the girl being in some kind of dark alleyway or water, she painted those shining gold wings, basically displaying something beautiful that she’s proud of, right? Except…” She trailed off once again before looking to the side.

Diana leaned back into her seat, suddenly remembering how personal most art statements are, and feeling ashamed for the possibility that she made the brunette uncomfortable. “There is no need for you to continue, Akko. I sincerely apologize if you don’t wish to share that information, I understand if it’s something you want to keep to yourself.”

The Japanese artist immediately faced the blonde with wide eyes before flailing her arms. “No! Of course not, I really wanna tell you! Like I said, it’s hard for me to explain, since I kind of...BSed it...” She chuckled awkwardly. 

“Oh? I see… go on, then.”

Once again, Akko nodded. “Right, okay, so she made something--or...discovered something she’s proud of. But it’s in the darkness right? And it’s all because she doesn’t want others to see it for, uh… reasons.” 

Diana gazed at the girl’s piece. For a moment, she opened her mouth to tell her she could definitely relate to that, whatever the wings symbolize. And perhaps ask her what those wings meant to her. But she knew if she were in Akko’s shoes, she’d refuse to explain. Instead, Diana said, “Well, it resulted in such an amazing piece. Good job, Akko.” 

Akko immediately beamed at the praise, before shaking her head and sticking her tongue out. “No, you.”

Diana furrowed her eyebrows, and spoke in a monotone manner. “No. No more reversals. Your ‘No u’ is invalid.” 

The brunette chuckled, “Fine, fine...how ‘bout that Tik Tok comp, huh?” She grinned as she nudged at Diana, who rolled her eyes before nodding in defeat. 

Before the shorter girl had the chance to pull up her phone again, a familiar voice behind them spoke. “So, how are your pieces, girls?” 

Diana shifted in her seat to turn to the individual, only to sigh upon discovering it was Andrew, grinning smugly at the two. 

He rested his hand on the desk as he leaned against it beside Akko. “I assume you two are finished your pieces, yes? Care to explain your artist statements?”

Akko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Actually, I just told Diana about it, and I’m kinda too lazy to say it all again. You can probably pick bits and pieces off of it from when you critiqued my art yesterday though!”

“Hmm. Very well. You can send me the link to your website as well. And yours, Diana?” He glanced over to her piece and, well aware of the meaning behind it, his expression softened and seemed genuine for a moment. “It’s truly brilliant. Both of your works are.”

Diana smiled, “Thank you, Andrew. And yours? The usual?”

“Of course. My dad’s gonna love it.” He said sarcastically with a smirk, before leaning away from the table. “It was nice talking to you two, I’ll be walking around giving last minute critiques to people. You girls aren’t in need of one you?” 

Akko shook her head and said a quick goodbye before he made his way to the back of the class to help out one of their classmates. 

“He’s pretty nice. You two go way back, right?” She asked once he was gone.

The heiress nodded. “Yes, we went to the same boarding school in England as children together. He’s a close family friend, I suppose.”

The brunette nodded, before resting her elbow on the table as she leaned her cheek against her palm. “So...this is probably a dumb question, but are you two a thing?”

Diana, caught off guard with Akko’s question, immediately turned to the girl beside her. “I beg your pardon?”

“A-Are you two...dating?” She stammered. 

The blonde instantly cringed and shook her head as she stifled a laugh. “Oh God, of course not! It’s a ridiculous rumour. If anything, he’s somewhat a relative, so the mere thought of having those types of feelings for him”, _or a guy_ , she cleared her throat, “is rather disgusting.”

The shorter girl sheepishly chuckled. “Ah, I see. Sorry, I heard it from other girls. Sucks that people, like, ship you guys.” 

Diana leaned into her seat with crossed arms. “Don’t remind me. My aunt’s been trying to convince me that he makes a ‘fine suitor’. Thank the nines that he feels the same way.” 

Akko pursed her lips and nodded, most likely having no idea what else to say. 

 _Nines, Amanda probably told her about Andrew and I._ Diana sighed and leaned against her hand, until she noticed a figure standing at the front.

“Can I have everyone’s attention? Guys!” 

The two quickly looked up to the front at the sound of Miss Callistis clearing her throat. “You should all be on your final details since it’s due at the end of class! Unfortunately, I’d have to give any late submissions a 10% off.” 

Suddenly, Diana, and most likely the rest of the class, heard a frantic squeal coming from the back of the room, accompanied by the sound of a pencil crayon being used to colour _aggressively_ against the paper. The blonde peered over to the back at Kyle desperately trying to finish his barely coloured piece.

Miss Callistis shook her head. “And that’s why you don’t leave your art for the last minute, guys.” She paused as Kyle chuckled nervously to raise an eyebrow at him. “Make sure you also send in your artist statement tonight before midnight on the dropbox--And Louis, I swear to God, stop posting unnecessary memes in the google classroom.” Her eyes narrowed at the blonde sitting in front of Andrew, who cackled and high fived another boy seated next to him. 

The blonde noticed Akko immediately turning to her. “Oh my God, we can post stuff in the google classroom?”

Diana merely shushed her as their instructor continued.

“Along with that, you should also start preparing for your next assignment, which is to be painted on a 48 by 60 canvas with a partner of your choice. I’ll be at my desk, so let me know who you’ll be working with.” She glanced at Diana and Akko and smiled at the two, before making her way back to her seat. 

Diana turned to the brunette beside her, who was nervously looking around the class. The heiress raised a brow and stared at her in an unamused manner until she finally noticed.

“So...who should I ask?” The shorter girl shyly asked.

“Oh, Louis, without a doubt.” Diana deadpanned. 

She quickly looked towards his direction with pursed lips. “Really? I thought he was kind of a turd.” 

The blonde furrowed her eyes in slight frustration before pinching the bridge of her nose. ”Akko..." She shook her head in disbelief, "I must say, I’m quite appalled you didn’t think to ask me to be your partner first.” 

Akko sunk into her seat. “I-I mean, I was going to, but I thought you might want to work alone.” 

Diana smiled and shook her head once again. “Of course not. I would be delighted to work with you.”

The brunette snorted. “Delighted? Sorry, Diana, but I’ve literally never heard anyone our age say the kind of things you do.” She chuckled softly.

The blonde’s smile immediately shifted into a frown as she raised a brow. “I change my mind, perhaps I’ll work with Louis instead.”

Akko gawked and made an...interesting squeak. “Nonononono, Dianaaa, I was joking!”

The heiress shook her head before looking at the shorter girl with a softened expression. “As though I would subject myself to that form of torture.”

“So…” The brunette averted her eyes, evidently nervous. “Partners?” 

Diana smiled warmly once their eyes met. “Partners. I will inform Miss Callistis about us. Until then, I’m quite interested as to what nonsense is in that compilation of yours…” 

* * *

**_Andrew Hanbridge_ **

Birthday: ???

Grade: 11

Height: 5’11”

Programs: Visual Arts, AP English

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Straight. But,,,he just wants to play piano, man

Nationality: English

Home: Mississauga, ON Canada

Likes: Piano, Art, Acrylic Paint, Musicals, Classical Music, Akko(?), Debate Club

Dislikes: His Father, Intense Rap Music, Romance, Girls Gushing Over Him

Fun Fact!: He probably knows the Evangelion and minecraft theme song on piano by heart

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that was Kyle from She Ra.
> 
> I planned on writing so much more, but I found it more appropriate if the next parts were in Akko's perspective. Shit's bout to go down, trust. Also, I promise, I may be shitting on Barbara so bad but she's gonna be a total sweetheart...eventually. Hannah--you can probably make guesses as to why she's the way she is. And Akko's concept? Totally based off her experiences with others regarding her sexuality. And horribly bsed, I kinda ripped it off one of my old concepts back in my freshman year. Diana's was thought of on the spot though, so please forgive me, it's absolute garbage fdksfkf. I'd love to paint one of their pieces one day though! 
> 
> I apologize for the wait, I'm painfully slow at writing--I have a wholeass plan with everything I'm supposed to write per chapter, but I kinda,,,, set aside the details for the last few chapters since there was originally barely any development between Akko and Diana's friendship, but they'll be more accurate to my plans after a chapter or two.


	7. This is Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko and Diana work on their piece together. Akko reflects on her life at home, as well as discovers something new about Diana and her roommates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry for the long wait!!! This month has been extremely hectic and stressful, and I appreciate you all for being so patient. I was busy with summer school, working a part time job, and preparing art for Toronto's FanExpo taking place next month. This chap ended up being around 7K words, and considering my initial goal was 2K+ per chapter, I'm really proud of that and I hope it makes up for the wait !!

**Warning: Homophobic family members in a coming out scene**

* * *

Thursday,  September 13, 2018

10:12AM EST

Akko

* * *

 In all honesty, Akko had never expected Diana to ask about her concept. Biting her lip, she hesitated on whether or not she should explain. With a hum, she set her phone to the side and turned to the blonde. “I guess these Tik Tok memes will have to wait. Uh…” She swallowed nervously, hoping the taller girl wouldn’t notice. “Give me a second, it’s hard to...sum it all up in words, y’know?”

She watched as Diana smiled before shifting in her seat to face her.

“Alright”, she whispered to herself, barely enough for the blonde to hear. 

Akko carefully explained the concept of her piece, as to not slip out any hints of what it truly meant. ‘ _Just be as vague as you can,’_ she gazed down at the girl in her drawing, which clearly represented her. She should’ve given herself a pat on the back for what she had written to represent the golden wings in the alleyway--it could’ve meant anything, and Akko was desperately hoping Diana wouldn’t think too much about it. 

“Right, okay, so she made something--or… discovered something she’s proud of,” Akko gazed at the golden wings, which represented her romantic orientation. It was true that she was proud of it--there was nothing to be ashamed of, and she knew that. She wants nothing but to wear her heart on her sleeve and let everyone know she can fall for anyone, regardless of their gender. That she valued personality above all a person had to offer. 

But that’s when the alleyway plays a role in her piece. The darkness that makes her realize there are going to be people out there who won’t accept her. _Like_ _Okaa-san._ As happy as she was to have a loving mother who supported her in her pursuit of the arts, she wanted nothing more but to be accepted for who she truly is. 

She recalled the time she had told her mom about her pansexuality. It was probably a month before her flight to Canada. Akko and her mother had just visited the MORI digital art museum, and needless to say, she had an amazing time. Akko wasn’t quite sure what spurred up the sudden urge for her to come out at that time. Perhaps it was because of the way two women they saw at the museum were holding hands. Or the way two young boys, most likely a bit older than Akko, were leaning against one another on their seats when they were in the subway. Or… something else that had happened just a few days prior. 

Whatever courage she managed to build up to go tell Okaa-san came crumbling down upon her reaction. 

“You’re just going through a phase,” Okaa-san said in a passionless manner.

Akko stared back, examining her eyes for any subtle evidence she was simply joking. But there was nothing. No hint of acceptance, or love, or _anything_ but darkness similar to that of her alleyway. “I-It’s not a phase. I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember...”

“So, what, are you admitting you like girls now?” Okaa-san refused to make eye contact with her.

Akko bit her lip and concentrated on her shoes. “Yeah, but also… not really? I don’t really think gender’s all that important… it’s mostly personality that matters to me.”

“And you can fall in love with anyone who’s nice to you? Is that it?” Okaa-san said, her tone evidently sounding colder.

Swallowing nervously, Akko shook her head, “It’s not like that, Okaa-san.”

“It might as well be with all the crap the youth makes up these days.” 

Akko momentarily froze. Her eyes widened as she gazed at her mother, before throwing her arms up in frustration. “It’s NOT made up, Okaa-san! It’s me! It’s who I am!” 

“I don’t give a damn what you think you are, that’s not what I raised you to become!” Okaa-san snapped back at her daughter. 

“It wasn’t up to you to decide! It wasn’t even my decision!”

Okaa-san shook her head as her eyes began to tear up, “What did I do for you to turn out this way?!” 

“NOTHING,” Akko shouted, she sniffed and wiped a single tear with her sleeve before continuing. “You didn’t do anything. I’m just… tired of pretending I’m something I’m not.”

“Tired of pretending?” Cut the crap because no daughter of mine is gay.”

Holding back tears in her eyes, Akko raised her voice, “WHY CAN’T YOU ACCEPT IT?”

“BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL SO YOUNG,” Okaa-san yelled back, before quickly wiping a tear on her cheek away. She lowered her voice, “You’re just confused. Give it a little time and you’ll come to your senses.”

“Come to my senses?” Akko scoffed in disbelief as her mother turned around, her back now facing her own daughter.

“Don’t talk about this again and I won’t mention it to your father,” and with that, Okaa-san stormed off, leaving Akko in the dark..

Akko didn’t bother bringing it up again after her second attempt in which her mother full out ignored her. Then, she carried on as though nothing had happened. They were having dinner this one time with close family friends—maybe a week or so after coming out, and upon the mention of the other family’s son getting married, Okaa-san immediately turned to Akko with a smile, saying, “I can’t wait for Akko to settle down when she’s older. I hope her future husband will be as handsome as your boy!”

The brunette didn’t really care all that much that her mother didn’t embrace her and gave out a heartwarming, teary-eyed speech explaining how proud she is of her, and how she loved her regardless of her sexuality—which was what Akko desperately hoped would happen. But it stung like _utter hell_ that she refused to accept the truth that is her _own daughter’s identity_ . And it hurt to go on like _everything is fine._ Like her own mother didn’t cast aside a huge aspect of herself. 

‘ _But at least she didn’t throw me out of home, right?’_ She tried to reassure herself.

_Bullshit. It doesn’t feel like home anymore._

Akko then recalled something else that occurred earlier this week week with Amanda after she found out she was lesbian. During lunch on Tuesday, she joined the soccer player to grab some food from the Tim Horton’s across the street from the academy, and _accidentally_ let it slip that Sucy told her about her sexuality.

“You… You had no idea?” Amanda raised an eyebrow as she took a sip from her iced capp. 

“No! Of course not! I didn’t really get any vibes off you…” Akko fiddled with her phone in her hands.

Amanda snorted and coughed on her iced capp. “No fucking way. I thought you already knew! Dude, I fucking hit on you the first time we met!”

Akko covered her face with her hands as she felt her cheeks heat up. “Shut up, I had no idea, alright...”

“I’m sorry, but damn… I’m surprised, I’m pretty open about it here.” Amanda leaned back into her seat and took a bite out of her bagel. 

“Pshh… not really, I thought that Cam you were talking about was a guy.” Akko pouted as she began to stir her smoothie with her straw. 

Amanda smirked, “Speaking of Cam, she’s hot as fuck, eh?” 

Akko chuckled, then realized something unusual the athlete said, “Wait, holdup… you said you’re pretty open about being gay _here._ Are you not out at home or something?” 

Amanda’s expression immediately shifted as her grin faded away. She set down her iced cap on the table and looked out the window. “N-...Not really,” she admitted. 

“Woah, seriously?!” Akko jolted up in her seat as she gaped at the taller girl with wide eyes.

Sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, Amanda nodded. “Well… the school I was in back in Texas isn’t really supportive, and neither was my family, so…” 

Akko placed her hand on her shoulder, “That sucks… I’m really sorry about that, Amanda.” 

“I guess that’s why I even went after this place, y’know? Why I joined literally every sports team and trained my ass off back home so I could get a scholarship.”

Akko looked to the side and contemplated about how dedicated she was to follow in Chariot’s footsteps and get into Luna Nova. Whereas her reason behind going to the academy was simply following a childhood dream, Amanda’s was a way for her to express who she is--something she’s unable to do at home, which Akko wholeheartedly respected.

“My mom refused to believe me when I told her I’m pan, so I totally get you…” Akko confessed.

“As shitty as some parts of Luna Nova is… people here are so much more understanding than they can ever be back at home. I mean, my dad is homophobic as fuck, dude. But hey… at least this place feels… more like home, right?” Amanda turned to Akko with a grin.

Akko smiled, “Yeah… home.” 

* * *

Friday, September 14, 2018

10:12AM EST

* * *

 Akko yawned before nuzzling her face into her arms that rested against the table. She barely managed to take a nap during English, seeing as Finnelan has given her 4 warnings this week, and she was extremely exhausted after 5 hours of sleep. Wait—no, she slept at 5AM. Which meant 3 hours of sle-

“Please, _please_ fix your sleeping schedule, Akko,” A familiar voice said in the seat beside hers.

Akko let out an incoherent mumble before turning to a certain blonde, with her cheek still against her arm. “Eventually”, she grinned cheekily.

Diana looked at her in disbelief before shaking her head. “Forgive me for scolding you for, what, the third time this week? But you must take better care of yourself if you’re going to uphold the image of a Luna Nova student.”

The brunette, who was squinting at the blonde as she leaned up slightly from her arm, let out another yawn as she shook her head and made an attempt to sit up straight in her suit. “I’m up, I’m up—Yeesh, sorry, mom.” 

Diana raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

Akko, realizing how unintentionally irritated she sounded, immediately jolted up to mumble a dozen apologies. “S-Sorry! Sorry...I didn’t mean to say it like that,” she nervously rubbed at the back of her neck. “You mean well, I’m just superrr exhausted. And I get that...I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

“I understand, it’s alright,” Diana said with a sigh, before turning back to the shorter girl with a subtle smile. “Health is a significant aspect when it comes to education after all. You’ll be needing it to help me brainstorm for the concept of our piece.”

Akko gasped as she clutched onto her hair, “Oh my God, I totally forgot we were doing that!” She chuckled and grinned at the blonde, “In all honesty, I was thinking we could watch a bunch of stupid vids again, but I’m somehow excited to paint with you.” 

“And I as well,” Diana smiled before pulling out her research workbook, Akko doing the same shortly after.

The two examined their blank pages and looked at one another.

Akko tilted her head to the side as she quickly observed the blonde and noticed she was wearing the black uniform pants rather than the usual skirt. It _really_ suited her. Diana also appeared to be wearing a bit more makeup than she usually did. Often, she’d have somewhat of a natural look with a bit of mascara and eyeliner with wings, but today, Akko could tell she put more effort into her foundation and highlights. And although she was already stunning without makeup, she managed to appear even more breathtaking. She… _wow she could literally step on me and I’d thank her_. 

Akko cleared her throat and averted her eyes to the side. “Alright, so, whatcha thinking?” 

Diana narrowed her brows in confusion at the brunette’s unusual behaviour, and Akko was desperately hoping she’d set it aside as her normal self. It’s not like her staring really meant anything. They’re artists, they should be used to admiring works of art anywa-

“Well...to begin with, I recommend you focus on the assignment, rather than on your…” Diana raised an eyebrow, “Are you holding a fidget spinner?”

Swallowing nervously, Akko glanced over to her left hand that was holding a bright red object, realizing she was unknowingly spinning it with her thumb. 

“Actually, it’s called a ‘Spinning Widget,” she chuckled before putting it away.

Diana raised an eyebrow at her, unamused. “Akko, please-”

“I know, I know…” Akko sighed. “I’m just… nervous y’know? I never really expected to work with you, and all I keep thinking about is how…I- I don’t know.” Akko clenched her hands into her lap as she looked down.

“Are you sure… you even want to work with me? Before you said you didn’t want to have anything to do with me before...so-“ She trailed off as she bit her lip.

Through the corner of her eye, Akko noticed the blonde hesitantly lift her hand as her mouth parted for a moment—Akko expected it was to explain she would never say such a thing. 

Diana, recalling what she had told the brunette in a cold manner before leaving her to navigate her way through the academy on her own, sighed as she retracted her hand.

“That… was all in the spur of the moment.” Diana glanced to the side. “I do apologize for my cold demeanor at that time… but you must acknowledge how truly gifted you are, Akko,” she faced the shorter girl, whose face slightly flushed when their eyes came in contact. “If I must be honest as well, I’m surprised you’re willing to work with someone as ‘bossy’ and… do forgive me, ‘artsocratic’ as I.” 

Akko covered her mouth with a hand as she gasped dramatically. “I did NOT pronounce it that bad!”

“Indeed you deed,” Diana grinned. And if Akko had anything to say about it, she was being _cheeky._

“Alright then, nevermind, I guess we’re not working together.” Akko crossed her arms and pouted jokingly, before beaming at the taller girl. 

Diana playfully rolled her and eyes flashed a small smile at the shorter girl. 

“But… thanks. I’d hate to drag you down or something…” Akko glanced down at their research workbooks, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, “A-Anyways… let’s start brainstorming.” 

Diana nodded, before scooting her seat _just a bit_ closer to Akko, who gulped as she absentmindedly took in her scent. 

 _‘Is… that lavender?’_   She took one last sniff before shaking her head rather aggressively, mentally scolding herself for getting distracted. 

Diana raised an eyebrow at the unusual action as she took out a lead pencil. “Alright, to begin with… tell me about your style. How do you often prefer to draw?”

Akko shrugged, “I usually draw in a kind of like… stylized anime-ish kinda way? But I’m totally cool with doing realism! I can mimic any kind of style if I wanted. Except abstract. I hate abstract.”

“That’s… quite interesting,” Diana said as she jotted down what she had said into the research workbook. “No abstract… understandable. I must admit, I wish my style was more... stylized than it is realistic.” 

“Pfft, are you kidding?” Akko stifled a chuckle, “I’ve seen your art and your sketches, you didn’t have to flex that hard with your realism.” 

Diana smiled and shook her head. “Anything else you’d like to add about your style?”

Akko turned to the page Diana had written on, “I usually draw people in my pieces. And I aim to, like… make it so the viewer stares at it for a while to come up with what the concept is, I guess?”

“I see...let’s begin our mind map then.” 

“Yeah, sure! First off, are we planning to make this all edgy or fluffy?” Akko asked as she tapped on the table with the pencil in her hand.

Diana raised an eyebrow. “Edgy? Fluffy?” She shook head head, “I suppose it relies on the connections we make with our mind map. First thoughts on working on this piece together?” Diana glanced over to her.

There was a brief pause, until Akko perked up in her seat at an idea. “Together?”

“Together,” Diana repeated with a raised eyebrow, before humming. “I suppose it will do since I was thinking of cooperation.” She wrote it down on the page.

From that, the two made more connections with the first words that came up in their heads. Branching off of ‘Together/Cooperation’ was Bonding, Team, Friendship, Love—to which Akko could’ve sworn made Diana blush as she wrote it down—‘Was she really being honest about not dating Andrew? Maybe that’s what she was all flushed about,’ and so on. _Definitely had nothing to do with the lack of space between the two._ She doubted the blonde was as aware of their proximity as she was. Akko then branched ‘Voltron’ from team and bonding, which was immediately scratched out by Diana.

“No. We are not incorporating _anything_ voltron related to this piece,” she said with a cold glare.

“Mm, I didn’t expect you to know what voltron was,” Akko smirked.

Diana looked at her briefly with a blank expression, “I’m an aristrocat, not old.”

“Hehehe, you said ‘aristrocrat’-“ Akko chuckled as she nudged at the girl beside her, who rolled her eyes and continued writing on their mind map.

“I did not and you have no evidence,” she cleared her throat before pulling the research workbook closer to them. “Anything else?”

Akko hummed, “What about… family?” She glanced over to the blonde.

Diana’s breathing hitched, and the grip on her lead pencil tightened. 

Pursing her lips nervously, Akko thought about her mother. Her current situation with her could definitely contribute to a variety of concepts for a piece as it did for their last assignment. But… she hadn’t stopped to think about how Diana’s relationship with her family is? They’re not really that close enough to talk about their own friends, let alone relatives. 

“Family…” Diana repeated as she wrote it down onto the page.

Akko watched as the blonde stared at the sheet after having written it down. She desperately wanted to ask if there was something about it that bothered her. What is something related to her family’s business? Maybe it was just complicated and  Akko wouldn’t understand. 

There was a moment of silence until Diana finally spoke. “I have some connections to this as well…” 

She continued scribbling onto the page, writing _Home. Stranded. Lost. Responsibility-_

 _Yikes._ Akko winced. She didn’t really expect it to have this kind of an impact on the heiress. 

Diana glanced at her, “Well, they can most likely contribute to our concept. It _is_ more interesting when the piece is… how did you state it before?”

 Akko chuckled sheepishly, “Edgy. When it’s edgier,” she turned to her, “Hey, why do you connect home to being lost?”

Diana turned her attention back to the page. “It’s the state people often find themselves in when they are unable to find their way home.” 

“Oh”, Akko let out as she looked at their mindmap. “Do you miss your home?” 

“Not particularly... “ 

The brunette nodded, wondering what the blonde’s family was like. Despite their differences, Akko truly missed her mother--and her father as well. _She missed Japan. Her_ occasional arguments she’d have with her parents, Okaa-san’s home cooked meals, taking walks in Shinjuku Gyoen, hell, even the insane foot traffic were all something she wished she was able to bring to Canada, just to feel more... at home. For some reason, she could relate to the way Diana connected ‘Lost’ to it. 

“Kinda get it, actually… being lost...” Akko said quietly. Diana looked over to her as she continued. “With Japan being thousands of kilometres away, I miss it, y’know?” 

“Japan must have been lovely”, Diana smiled, before turning back to the sketchbook, “Is there anything you would relate this to?”

Akko pulled out her own pencil and scribbled in a few words branching from _Lost._  

“Paths? New encounters? Cities?” Diana read what Akko had written aloud, tilting her head to the side as though she was trying to comprehend why the shorter girl made these connections.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m super into edgy art, but there’s always different paths people can take when they’re lost to get back on track, right?” She flashed the blonde a smile, right before she continued scribbling onto the page, absentmindedly letting her tongue stick out. She hadn’t even noticed the way she minimized the proximity between them with how she leaned closer to the research workbook. But, hey, at least Diana was acknowledging it this time-

The heiress watched as she branched off new words. “Dreams. Paradise. Heart?”

Akko grinned as she leaned back to gaze at the page, “We can call it, _This is Home,”_ she looked at Diana, “Homes aren’t always perfect. They can be a total wreck, for all I care, but it’s usually where you feel like you belong, right?”

“This is honestly brilliant of you, Akko”, Diana smiled back at her.

Nodding and sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, Akko shrugged. “Kinda dumb but I got an idea off a song I really like. You ever heard of Cavetown?”

Diana shook her head, and it took all of Akko’s effort not to gasp and clutch at her chest dramatically. 

“Well, the album cover for this one song ‘This is Home’ is kind of a collage or something with a cabin at the front and that got me thinking,” Akko, with her own research workbook, flipped to a blank page and began sketching out houses, but stacking them on top of one another as though they were buildings. “And this could be symbolic of homes being ‘all over the place’, right?” She looked up at the blonde.

For a moment, Akko was unable to decipher the expression on Diana’s face as she analyzed the _terribly rushed_ sketch she doodled and the mindmap. Then, Diana’s blank expression shifted as her lips curled into a smile. “I think that’s an excellent idea, Akko.” 

“YES! Thank you, Diana!” Akko beamed. It took all her might to contain her excitement and resist from instantly pulling her into one of her tight hugs.  

Diana turned her attention back to her sketchbook. “I admit, this plan has a lot of potential, and I have no doubt we will execute this perfectly.” The blonde said as she gazed at their mindmap. “Although, I’m not quite sure if that alone completes the piece. How do you feel about an individual or two looking over a scenery of this?”

Akko looked at her sketch, and quickly scribbled in two silhouettes of figures sitting, overlooking the view of the skyscraper-houses. “Kinda like this? Hmm… what if they were like, sitting on a cloud?” 

Diana observed the sketch. “Even better. Do we want to make the two silhouettes in the piece, or have details on their back?” 

“Maybe a bit of detail?” Akko shrugged, “But not too much so they won’t take too much attention off the background.” 

“You two can probably draw them in our uniforms if you’re having a little trouble on their attire,” said a familiar voice behind them. 

“Oh, hey Andrew!” Akko grinned as she shifted in her seat to turn to him, “That’s not a bad idea! What do you think, Diana?”

“I was actually contemplating drawing them in travelling gear to indicate they are on an adventure, or something of that sorts…”

“Oh, you’re totally right!” Once again, Akko stuck out her tongue as she proceeded to write that in her research workbook.

“So I see you two have a similar goal in mind?” Andrew rested his arm against the table beside the brunette’s book as he observed their pages. 

Diana cocked an eyebrow as she glanced over to where Andrew was seated, with his partner sitting alone, “I assume Louis is not as invested into pianos as you are?” 

Andrew stifled a laugh, “It was either him or working with Chloé. He’s not really helping out much with the concept, but at least I get to make it whatever I want.” 

“Chloé?” Akko tilted her head as she glanced over to the back corner at a curly haired blonde,  “That’s the girl who’s constantly giving Diana nasty looks, right?” 

Diana rolled her eyes, “Unfortunately.”

“What’s her deal with you?” Akko turned back to the blonde, wondering why someone would feel that way about her. But… then again, she wasn’t exactly her biggest fan when they first met. Granted, they were being brats to each other. Like Amanda said, it took two to tango, right? 

“I suppose I never had the chance to show her my true colours the way I did with you two.” Diana glimpsed at the other blonde, who had no choice but to pair up with Kyle. “She was the one who initially started all the rumours regarding myself.”

Andrew couldn’t help but suppress another chuckle. “Doesn’t she think you two are rivals or something?”

Diana sighed, “That, and she fancies Andrew, and refuses to believe I am not interested in him the same way she is.”

Akko glanced at the two, then burst into laughter. “ _Fancy_?”

“Now, if you excuse us, Andrew, we must concentrate on our piece. Perhaps you should do the same.” Diana narrowed her eyes at him. 

“Mm… alright. Changing the topic, I see…” Andrew murmured as he made his way back to Louis. Akko couldn’t help but bite her lip to stifle a snort at their exchange. 

Diana blew a strand of her green tea hair out of her face in frustration, before turning her attention back to her research workbook. 

Akko leaned her cheek against the table as she gazed up at the blonde with a grin, “Hey, forget Chloe, alright? You’re cool. _Really cool_ . And if she thinks you two are rivals or something, then she can think otherwise.'' Akko leaned back up and picked up her pencil to begin to sketch in her research workbook, “ _I’m_ your rival.” 

The blonde leaned back into her seat and looked over at the shorter girl. With her lips curling into a smile, she nodded. “If you see it that way, then alright.”  

Akko chuckled, then, in realization of what she just said, she cringed. _‘God, why did say that?!’_ She thought to herself. Her mind right now might as well be filled with _‘KFKFKDKGKDKFKDKFKFK’_.

“It seems as though we lost track of time and there’s approximately 15 minutes left to class,” Diana said as she turned to the brunette, pulling her out of her… keysmashing thoughts, “Perhaps we continue this after school?” 

“Y-Yeah!” Akko sheepishly rubbed the back of her beck, “Want me to stop by your dorm, or something?” 

Diana hummed, “That is preferable than working in the studios. Is 4PM alright?” 

Akko beamed, “Perfect! I’ll see you then!” 

* * *

3:57PM EST

**W: Homophobic slurs**

* * *

 For some _unknown reason_ , Akko was more conscious of her attire than she ever had before. On one hand, she had to keep in mind that she has to wear clothes she’s fine with getting paint on. On the other, she couldn’t help but feel the need to look… nice. 

“I like your outfit, Akko,” Diana said as she settled on a stool beside the brunette.

Akko immediately glanced down at her white NASA ringer tee and black jean shorts and sheepishly smiled. “Thanks, Diana, hopefully I won’t get any paint on me or anything… and uh… y-you too.” 

Diana looked at her and blinked a couple times before smiling. “Thank you?” 

For a moment, Akko was confused as to why she’d respond that way, until she realized the blonde hadn’t bothered to change. “I-I mean, earlier I noticed you were wearing the uniform pants for the first time and I totally forget to mention it.”

“Oh? Well, thank you again for noticing,” Diana began loosen her tie and rolled up her sleeves once she set it aside. Akko tried not to stare. Who wouldn’t? _Amanda would probably do the same if she was here too and she hates Diana. “_ I took it upon myself to set up the canvas on the easel, as you can already see. However, we should produce a proper sketch of the piece on a separate sheet of paper. I doubt it will take much time, considering you have your sketch from class today.”

“Actually, I already got that!” Akko grinned as she zipped up her backpack that was placed beside her stool, then pulled a loose sheet out of her sketchbook and set it on the easel. It was essentially the same sketch of the two individuals sitting on clouds overlooking the stacked house towers scenery from earlier, but much more refined and with more detail. She rubbed the back of her neck, “Sorry, that last sketch bothered me a lot so I felt the need to clean it up once I got back to my room.”

Diana picked up the sheet and examined it with a serious demeanor. Akko gulped. “There’s no need to apologize, this looks wonderful. I suppose we can begin sketching on the canvas already. We most likely won’t have to start painting today as well,” she smiled at the shorter girl, who sighed in relief.

Akko then watched as Diana began to set up a projector on the coffee table behind them. The blonde carefully took a photo of Akko’s sketch before sending it to the device on the table in order for them to trace it out. The brunette never really considered this method before—probably because she never had a projector. But she figured Diana was probably used to it by now since it was most likely what everyone else in class was doing to transfer their designs onto the canvas. (She’d seen a whole supply closet full of projectors)

While Diana was adjusting the projector so that it would align with the canvas, Akko observed the room and noticed how _significantly_ larger the blonde’s dorm seemed to be. It didn’t feel right to call it a dorm. _More like an apartment suite_ . Their beds were nowhere in sight, so Akko assumed the small hallway at the end of the room led to their own bedrooms. And... _was that their own personal bathroom?_ The brunette tried not to feel envious, but who could blame her? She took her showers well past curfew since that was really the only time no one else was there. Plus, the room they were in already looked twice the size of hers, and it looked a whole lot fancier. 

They had a television on a stand at the front of the room, with a black leather couch placed at the opposite end and a coffee table between them. On the left side, was Diana’s black drafting table, accompanied with the two stools and the easel that her and the blonde were currently working on. It was kind of impossible _not_ to be jealous. 

“Alright,” Diana said as she finished aligning the projector, “I suppose we should be good to proceed. Would you like to listen to some music while tracing the lineart?” 

Akko beamed as she took an HB pencil out of her backpack, “I’m fine with whatever!”

Diana nodded, then picked up her own 4H pencil, “Mm, alright. Alexa, play my Wicked playlist.” The small device in the corner of the room lit up before playing ‘Defying Gravity’.

Akko perked up in her stool and immediately turned to the blonde with her mouth gaping, “No way, you’re into Wicked?!” 

Diana pursed her lips as she shifted in her stool to face the canvas. “Yes, my mother used to play the songs on a daily basis.”

“I never really got into it, but I loved listening to them whenever Okaa-san played them too! And this song?” She grinned as she turned back to the canvas, “A bop.”

Diana smiled as she pressed the pencil against the canvas. “I suppose it is. And for the piece, I work on the right side while you trace the left?”

“Works for me!”

The two then carefully followed the lines of the projector as they listened to the musical’s soundtrack. At first, Akko was nervous and incredibly conscious of any strokes she made. She didn’t want to mess up anything, especially with the blonde in _extremely close_ proximity. But after about 10 minutes, she began to lose herself into the piece, and absentmindedly started humming along to the track.

There was a moment in which their pencils met at the middle of the piece. They looked at one another in surprise, and Diana smiled warmly at her. Akko accidentally let out an inaudible squeak at the sight before immediately retreating back to the opposite end of Diana’s side with her cheeks heating up. _What was that even about?_

They were working silently, enjoying one another’s company as well as the music in the background, until the door opened up, accompanied by a couple of new voices. 

Diana’s auburn haired roommate threw her arms in frustration as she continued what she was ranting about as she entered the room, “And then she went, ‘It’s not my fault you don’t have any curvature in your hips to support your dance routine!’ The nerve that girl has!”

It was quite obvious who she was talking about, and Akko would’ve snickered until the dark haired girl beside her scoffed, “Don’t let that _dyke_ talk crap about you like that! I bet her dance can’t compare to yours!”

 Akko flinched when she said the word ‘dyke’ in a distasteful manner, and pursed her lips nervously. She continued working on the lineart, trying her best to ignore the two, who stopped on their tracks when they noticed the brunette. 

“Wh-...What the hell?! Diana, why’s she here?!” Diana’s dark haired roommate gestured towards Akko. 

“Ah, Barbara, Hannah… Akko is simply here to work on an art project with me,” Diana said, not bothering to look towards their direction as she worked on the canvas. “Please refrain from using such inappropriate language.”

“Oh, sorry,” Barbara huffed, “I meant _Lesbian_. Though I don’t see the difference between them,” she used finger quotes to emphasize lesbian. Diana didn’t respond, nor did she seem phased as she continued her side of the piece. 

Akko looked at Diana, somewhat puzzled. _How could she stand to have little brats like them as her friends?_

Hannah crossed her arms as she continued ranting, “I just don’t understand how she got in the dance program in the first place when she doesn’t even deserve to be here!”

Shaking her head and immediately standing from her stool, she turned to the blonde’s roommates. 

“Amanda worked twice as hard as you to get here, so you have NO right to talk about her like that!” She snapped at the two.

“Akko!” Diana called from behind. Akko glanced back at the blonde and offered an apologetic look before glaring back at the girls. She couldn’t just stand by and let them insult Amanda like that.

Hannah stifled a laugh, “Are you her new girlfriend? I’ll be glad to let you know she’s going to drop you before anything real happens.”

Akko scrunched up her nose in disgust—Amanda was _smokin’_ and all, but she’s honestly a bro. “She’s NOT my girlfriend, but she _is_ my friend and she has every right to be here! You probably wouldn’t even make it to the waiting list without daddy’s money!” 

Barbara placed a hand on her hip and suppressed a chuckle, “Handing out scholarships is _easily_ headmistress Holbrooke’s way of pitying your broke ass. Got into the art program right? Someone _conveniently_ dropped that course and transferred the same time you applied. You don’t deserve to be here either.” 

Akko was at a loss for words. She looked at Diana then back at the two girls, wondering if the blonde would say anything about that.

“Barbara.” Diana warned behind Akko, but she dismissed her.

“No, Diana. Don’t you see she’s taking advantage of you? You’re seriously too nice sometimes,” Hannah said.

Barbara chuckled, “Who knows, she’s probably looking to hit on you or something.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Diana retorted, stepping forward to stand alongside the brunette.

“I’m _not_ lesbian,” Akko glowered at the two girls. Technically, she wasn’t lying. She may be attracted to girls too, but she really _wasn’t_ lesbian. _And who the hell do they think they are to judge others’ romantic orientation?! “_ And even if I was, what’s wrong with that?! You probably wouldn’t have a problem with a gay friend, would you?” 

Barbara scoffed, “Well duh, he wouldn’t hit on us the same way most lesbians do. Just ask Hannah, that freak of a friend of yours wouldn’t leave her alone last year.” 

“Don’t call her a freak!” Akko rebuked with her fists clenched.

“Akko, calm down!” Diana called out. Akko shook her head at the fact that she was telling _her_ to calm down, but not her roommates.

Hannah sneered at the brunette, “Didn’t Diana say something about…  feeling bad for transfer students last year? Isn’t that why you hung out with Amanda when she was new, Diana? I mean, I did as well, but only because you were first…” she added that last part rather quickly. 

Barbara suppressed a laugh, “Good thing Diana stopped hanging out with her the moment we found out she was gay. But you, Akko? If not, then you really are a charity case.” 

Akko froze for a moment. _A charity case?_ Is that really why Diana, out of all the students in art class, chose to work with her? She was supposed to be _popular,_ right? Was Akko just a poor excuse of a Luna Nova student that the blonde implored her to ‘uphold the image of’? Did she see some kind of opportunity to help shape her or something? And why were Diana’s roommates unaware of the two hanging out? Was she embarrassed since she was friends with Amanda or something? Akko couldn’t help but allow all these thoughts to overwhelm her. 

Diana’s lips parted, as though to say something, but Akko interrupted. _If she watched and let her friend say these things to her, then she clearly wasn’t going to defend her or anything._

She turned to the blonde, her expression faltering. “Look, I get it if you… feel bad for me and feel ‘obligated’ to help me out or something, but...” she said softly, before raising her voice, “Why the hell does Amanda’s orientation have to affect you guys so much?!”

“It doesn’t!” Diana reassured. Although her roommates chuckling mockingly didn’t help plead her case.

“I don’t really care much if you’re too embarrassed to tell _tweedledee and tweedledum_ we’re ‘art buddies’ or whatever we were,” Akko snarled at the blonde, making sure she emphasized it in past tense, “But what I do care about is the fact that you guys have to let someone’s damn sexuality get you so _butthurt.”_

Diana’s eyes widened, “B-Butthurt?! Akko, that’s absolutely absurd and you know that!” 

“Butthurt? What the hell are you in, _ninth grade?!”_ Hannah scoffed while Barbara snickered in the background.

Akko scoffed as she recalled how Diana reacted the first time they met, when she called her a freshman as well. They might as well have said the exact same thing. She turned to the blonde, “You know what’s absurd? The fact that I thought we could’ve been friends. Maybe I was wrong about you after all. You’re not only an _aristocrat_ , but you’re homophobic,” Akko picked her bag by the handle, not bothering to sling it around her shoulder.

Diana was speechless and stared back at her with wide eyes. For once, she stammered, “W-Wait… where are you going?!”

“Just leave her, she’s not worth it,” Barbara smirked. 

“I’m going back to my friends. Y’know, the ones who aren’t homophobic?” Akko mumbled, then glowered back at the blonde. “Look, just work on your half of the piece tonight and pass it to me Monday or something. We may be working on this together, but there’s no way in hell I’m working on it with… how did you say it again? Oh right, _with the likes of someone like you.”_

At this point, Hannah and Barbara watched with their arms crossed in silence, smirking. 

Akko began to make her way to the door, but paused for just a moment to say one last thing. “You probably didn’t even understand the concept of _This is Home_. Your life is probably charmed and perfect for someone as privileged as you.” 

With that, Akko pushed past Barbara and Hannah, not bothering to see how Diana reacted as she stormed off to her own dorm, furrowing her brows at an attempt to hold back her tears. 

* * *

** Hannah England  **

Birthday: ???

Grade: 11

Height: 5’4”

Programs: Dance

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Nationality: English

Home: London, England

Likes: Andrew, Dancing, Ice Skating, Rollerblading, Shopping, Amanda(?), Ribbons, Debate Club

Dislikes: Having Her Hair Down, Amanda, Public Transportation

Fun Fact!: Contrary to what others think of her, Hannah’s amazing at hip hop, and actually prefers it more than contemporary or ballet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For starters... I am so sorry if you think the end is a bit abrupt or rushed!! I was having such a difficult time with it and rewrote it about 4 times, then spent about a week asking for others' opinions fkdkfk. It was intended to show how horribly impulsive Akko is, and how misinterpretation is a pain in the ass. 
> 
> Secondly, I totally did make up that whole ass concept, and it took me 3 goddamn days what the h e l l. I literally grabbed my research workbook from my last semester and sat myself down to make the mindmap branching off of the word 'Together'. In all honesty, I wanted to make a quick painting doodle of the piece described, but I might just save that for another chapter-- maybe the next when they finish the piece?
> 
> Along with that, but Akko's coming out scene was inspired by people I know's experiences with their parents, and how shitty it is to have someone you love refuse to acknowledge your identity. I actually haven't come out to my parents at all yet. They suspected something about me for a while, but with the way I've been acting around them lately regarding topics of the LGBT community, they think I used to be homophobic lmao. ]
> 
> And finally, I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to have the next chapter up by next week since I'm going to NYC, but I'll try to get some writing down during my trip! Why,,, am i posting this at 3AM kfkfdkf


	8. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the argument, Akko begins to avoid Diana, and takes on a cold act whenever she comes across her. Andrew notices the change in their friendship and consoles Diana.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI IM SOO SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LATE UPDATE. I was soo caught up with preparing for Fanexpo last month, and once that was done, school started and I was getting my ass kicked with homework and my part time job fkfkf. The ending might have been a little too abrupt, but I don’t really have anything else significant to write in Diana’s perspective and really wanted to move on to Akko’s already.

Friday, September 14, 2018

3:57PM EST

Diana

* * *

 Diana couldn’t help but offer the brunette a gentle smile when their pencils met at the center of the canvas. Was that? A subtle blush she noticed? No, that’s impossible. 

Pursing her lips, Diana continued tracing the lines onto the canvas, _consciously_ aware of the lack of proximity between her and the girl beside her. 

It was strange, really. How she was able to warm up to this loud, enthusiastic, and quite frankly, arrogant girl. But then again, it was rather unusual for the brunette to as well, especially with the blonde’s controlling and overbearing ways. Could it be that she feels the same way as well? 

She stole a quick glance.

But then again… Diana couldn’t quite possibly pinpoint _exactly_ what she felt for the girl. 

Perhaps it was simply refreshing to relax and set aside all her worries when spending time with the girl. Or the way her radiance and creativity reminded her of the joys of her childhood. 

Diana smiled as she turned her attention back to the piece. The concept was brilliant, and it didn’t take an artist to be able to see it. Not only was it incredibly creative, but it was heartwarming as well, as she truly felt a connection to it. It was rather unfortunate how her home in Wedinburgh didn’t feel as warm as it did when her mother was present. Her childhood home was simply… a hollow shell nowadays, occupied by an atmosphere of disapproval and displeasure with that _dreadful woman_ in charge of the estate. 

However, most of her memories of the manor consisted of her time with her mother before her illness began to take a toll on them. After that, she didn’t spend all that much time there, having been sent off to boarding school in London. Overall, it was quite like Akko explained. Homes can be a mess for all we care, but Wedinburgh was where all her significant recollections had taken place. 

She took one of the meanings of their piece in mind, and acknowledged that homes are simply places you feel you belong. She thought about where she stood with the academy, and although she may not perceive it as the loving home she had in the past, perhaps, with the brunette by her side, Luna Nova can start to feel like one for her. Needless to say, she felt at ease whenever she’s with her. There’s no need to behave in the manner _everyone else_ expected of her. Diana smiled as she continued sketching against the canvas, blissfully taking in the soothing aura of the room.

That is, until she heard her roommate rambling outside the door.  

Diana internally cursed at herself. She was _certain_ the two were going to be back by 8PM, the earliest, as they had stated as well. _Shopping at Eaton Centre, my arse._

Hannah threw her arms in frustration as she stepped into the room, “And then she went, ‘it’s not my fault you don’t have any curvature in your hips to support you dance routine!’ The nerve that girl has!”

Clearly, she was referring to Amanda. And although she finds what the athlete has said _profoundly_ disrespectful, she acknowledged it was not something to be spoken about with Akko present. 

“Don’t let that _dyke_ talk crap about you like that!” Barbara _unnecessarily_ added. Diana’s breathing hitched at the mention of the word, and she immediately shifted her attention to Akko, desperately hoping the brunette failed to notice her reaction. 

Diana noticed Akko flinch as well, then pursing her lips as she made an attempt to focus on her linework. The blonde bit the bottom of her lip, restraining herself from scolding at the girls as she wanted nothing but for the two to say a quick greeting without looking over before heading to their rooms. Perhaps they won’t notice the brunette? But then again, the universe seemed to hate the heiress, because the two stopped on their tracks and gaped at Akko.

“Wh-...What the hell?”, Barbara hissed, “Diana, why’s she here?!”  

Diana momentarily shut her eyes, taking a deep breath as she internally cursed her roommate for having such an over dramatic reaction. “Ah, Barbara, Hannah… Akko is simply here to work on an art project with me,” Diana said while maintaining her concentration on the canvas. She stole a quick glance at the brunette before continuing, “Please refrain from using such inappropriate language.”

_As though that has ever stopped them…_

Barbara huffed, “Oh, sorry… I meant _Lesbian_ ,” she used finger quotes to emphasize ‘lesbian’. "Though I don't see the difference between them."nm 

Diana maintained her silence, disappointed in Barbara’s discriminating ways. If anything, she wanted so badly to speak up and inform the dark haired girl to be more open minded, especially with a guest in their dorm. But she was concerned she may end up slipping out a secret of her own. They _are_ referring to Amanda, so they would most likely question why she would she would be ‘taking her side’. Sighing, she continued to work on the piece, hoping Akko would do the same. 

Hannah continued ranting as she crossed her arms, “I just don’t understand how she got in the dance program in the first place when she doesn’t even deserve to be here!”

Immediately, Diana looked over to Akko as she watched as she stood from her stool, turning her attention to the girls. _Of course she would stand up for Amanda._

“Amanda worked twice as hard as you to get here, so you have NO right to talk about her like that!” Akko snapped at the two. 

Not wanting the tension to rise even more, Diana called to Akko, who glanced back in an almost apologetic manner before whipping her head back to Barbara and Hannah. Diana swallowed nervously for what may occur.

Stifling a laugh, Hannah stepped forwards with her hands on her waist, “Are you her new girlfriend? I’ll be glad to let you know she’s going to drop you before anything real happens.”

Diana glanced at Barbara, who didn’t seem to pay much attention to what her best friend had just stated. Was Hannah possibly implying there was something going on between her and the athlete in the past? She knew the two were close in sophomore year, but she’d never expect anything more from their friendship. No. There was no way. _Hannah was straight._ That and she didn’t seem to mind whenever Barbara made some negative comments towards anything LGBT related. But then again, neither did she…

She looked at Akko, who scrunched up her nose.

“She’s NOT my girlfriend, but she _is_ my friend and she has every right to be here! You probably wouldn’t even make it to the waiting list without daddy’s money!” 

Diana’s bit her lip once again. On one hand, she couldn’t help but feel… _relieved_ that there was nothing going on between the brunette and the delinquent. On the other, she felt a pang of guilt, as the status of their families _did_ influence their enrollment into the academy. She watched as Barbara placed a hand on her hip and suppressed a chuckle.

“Handing out scholarships is _easily_ headmistress Holbrooke’s way of pitying your broke ass. Got into the art program right? Someone _conveniently_ dropped that course and transferred the same time you applied. You don’t deserve to be here either.” 

Diana was at a loss for words. If anything, Akko deserved to be in the academy more than any of them had, and they had absolutely no right to say that to her. Diana took a sharp intake of breath before calling out to Barbara in a serious manner. 

“No Diana”, Hannah stepped forwards as the black haired girl dismissed her warning. “Don’t you see she’s taking advantage of you? You’re seriously too nice sometimes.”

“Who knows, she’s probably looking to hit on you or something,” Barbara chuckled.

Baffled by such a claim, Diana shook her head and stepped forward to stand alongside Akko. “That’s ridiculous.” 

“I’m _not_ lesbian. And even if I was, what’s wrong with that?! You probably wouldn’t have a problem with a gay friend, would you?” Akko glared at the two girls.

Diana glanced at her, then back at her roommates. Despite the tension between the three, she somehow couldn’t help but let the fact that Akko’s not lesbian rush through her head. She certainly didn’t take her for someone to be interested in girls. Hopefully she’s not as oblivious as most of the straight girls in the academy and hopelessly pine after Hanbridge. He’s left quite a trail.

Diana pulled herself out of her thoughts when Barbara said something _profoundly_ close minded. Her roommate scoffed, “Well duh, he wouldn’t hit on us the same way most lesbians do. Just ask Hannah, that freak of a friend of yours wouldn’t leave her alone last year.” 

Diana’s blood was boiling. And it didn’t take someone as intelligent as her to acknowledge that Akko’s was too. She watched as the brunette raised her voice and clenched her fists, “Don’t call her a freak!” 

Immediately, Diana called out to her, “Akko calm down!” She almost made an attempt to reach for the girl’s hand. But… with her roommates in front of them, perhaps it wasn’t the time. She retracted her hand as Akko’s brows furrowed when they looked at one another, then turned her attention back to the girls.

“Didn’t Diana say something about…  feeling bad for transfer students last year? Isn’t that why you hung out with Amanda when she was new, Diana?” Hannah sneered at Akko, then continued, although quite quickly, “I mean, I did as well, but only because you were first…” 

“Good thing Diana stopped hanging out with her the moment we found out she was gay”, Barbara suppressed a laugh. Diana was utterly infuriated. She herself did not care for that girl’s sexuality—it was her behaviour and lack of respect that did the job. Barbara continued, “But you, Akko? If not, then you really are a charity case.” 

Diana’s lips parted. That was absolutely _not_ the reason she wanted to spend time with the brunette. And for Barbara to claim that was extremely inappropriate. She tried to say something to defend her case. Anything. But her mouth felt too dry to be able to process any words. She turned to Akko, who was looking back at her, expression faltering. 

“Look, I get it if you… feel bad for me and feel ‘obligated’ to help me out or something, but...” Diana’s heart sank as Akko spoke softly, before raising her voice, “Why the hell does Amanda’s orientation have to affect you guys so much?!”

“It doesn’t!” Diana stepped forward as she tried to reassure her. However, Barbara and Hannah laughing in the background were certainly not helping convince the brunette otherwise.

Diana felt a lump in her throat as Akko glanced over to her her roommates, then glowered at her, “I don’t really care much if you’re too embarrassed to tell _tweedledee and tweedledum_ we’re ‘art buddies’ or whatever we were,” she snarled, emphasizing the word ‘were’ in past tense. “But what I do care about is the fact that you guys have to let someone’s damn sexuality get you so _butthurt.”_

 _Eyes widening, Diana shook her head. “_ B-Butthurt?! Akko, that’s absolutely absurd and you know that!” 

Diana’s current posture contrasted from that of the sophisticated one she maintained prior to the argument. She searched Akko’s eyes, pleading that she understands she, in no way whatsoever, agrees with her roommates. She was unable to find the words to convey how she truly felt about the current situation. Or perhaps she did, and she was too afraid to admit anything in front of her _childhood friends_. Needless to say, it was not enough to convince the brunette otherwise of what she was currently thinking. 

Hannah scoffed, “Butthurt? What the hell are you in, _ninth grade?!”_

Diana turned to her two roommates, then frantically turned her attention back to Akko as she huffed. 

“You know what’s absurd? The fact that I thought we could’ve been friends.” 

Diana’s mouth slowly parted, but once again, she found herself at a loss for words with her throat growing dry. 

“Maybe I was wrong about you after all. You’re not only an _aristocrat_ , but you’re homophobic,” Akko glared at her as she picked her bag by the handle, then began to make her way towards the door.

Diana was left without words. She stared at Akko with her eyes widened and, for once, she stammered. “W-Wait… where are you going?!”

Barbara smirked, and said something the blonde was unable to comprehend, because all she focused on at the moment was, perhaps, her only true friend, storming out of the room. “I’m going back to my friends. Y’know, the ones who aren’t homophobic?” Akko uttered with her back facing them, then turned back with a scowl. “Look, just work on your half of the piece tonight and pass it to me Monday or something. We may be working on this together, but there’s no way in hell I’m working on it with… how did you say it again? Oh right, _with the likes of someone like you.”_

Diana instantly froze at the sound of Akko’s voice so cold. _Was that how she sounded during their first encounter? Was this how… Akko felt?_

She wanted to follow her. To call back to her and prove her wrong. Tell her that for some reason, she’s… _significant_ to her. But the moment she took one step forward. Akko turned back once again. 

“You probably didn’t even understand the concept of _This is Home_. Your life is probably charmed and perfect for someone as privileged as you,” And with that, she pushed past Barbara and Hannah and made her way out of their dorm.

Diana stood there, speechless, with Akko’s last sentence repeating in her head over and over as though it was a broken record. 

‘Charmed’, she suppressed a weak laugh as she recalled the tragic events that occurred in her life. It was almost as though she was unable to breathe. Like there a constant chatter jumping from subject to subject and going down a rabbit hole in her head, and there was no way to silence it.

Immediately, she turned to her two roommates, who had the utter audacity to be giggling about what had just transpired.

“I _asked_ you to refrain from saying anything inappropriate! I expected better from you two!” She scolded.

“Sorry, Diana, but we were kind of doing you a favour…” Hannah mumbled.

“Yeah, and if anything, she kind of asked for it for defending that slob!” Barbara retorted. 

Diana shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in disbelief, “So you have no reason to believe that what you said was not at all offensive?” 

Hannah peered over to the darker haired girl, who furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, “Why do you care?!” 

“You insulted one of her friends at her expense!” She snapped back at her.

Barbara threw her arms in frustration, “Well you didn’t do anything about it! So obviously, we figured it didn’t matter as much!”

Diana paused for a moment, her expression faltering as she realized what she had done, or rather, what she hadn’t. “I… I did, didn’t I?”  She turned her back to the two of them. Everything would have gone much smoother if she had told them to back off. Nowadays, everyone is supportive of the LGBT community, right? So… why aren’t they?

With her back still facing her roommates, Diana clenched her jaw. “You two are _unbelievable.”_

Hannah scoffed, “Unbelievable? Us? I get we were a tad harsh, but she honestly deserved the truth, don’t you think?” 

Diana turned around and scowled at her. “Barbara, you _don’t_ understand how _insolent_ you were acting! And you as well, Hannah! You might as well would have spit on Akko!” The two opened their mouths to say something, but Diana continued before they had the opportunity. “No. Please, just… _do not_ try and reason with me, because your behaviour today was profoundly childlike,” She began to make her way towards her room and paused in front of the door. “I would appreciate some space for now. I hope you two will take the time to contemplate your actions.”

* * *

Saturday, September 15, 2018

1:14PM EST

* * *

 Diana had spent nearly the entire weekend trying to get a hold of Akko again. For a first, she spammed her instagram DMs. No reply. And then, suddenly, her account disappeared from her messages. Was she blocked? That had never happened to her before? She went to the red team’s dorms shortly after calming down on Friday. Akko’s roommate, with unusually pale skin and pink hair had opened it, then abruptly slammed it on her the moment she saw the blonde. 

“The dumbass doesn’t want to see you,” was all she said through the door after Diana pleaded for forgiveness. Perhaps she needed some time to cool off as well. 

Diana sighed and dejectedly made her way back to her own dorm, before trying again the next day, when she came across the brunette walking along O’Neill’s side to the bus stop on campus. She called out her name—big mistake. Akko jolted at the sound of her voice, tugged on Amanda’s arm, then immediately pulled her onto a bus that had _conveniently_ arrived at that moment.

The blonde clenched her jaw and slumped down onto the bench by the bus stop. Clearly, Akko wasn’t interested in hearing her out. And it was understandable. The events that occurred the night before clearly took a toll on her and her trust on the heiress. Who in their right mind would want to be friends with someone who stands by as others are deliberately disrespectful, right?

Diana shut her eyes and soaked in the sunlight. Although she may not be fond of O’Neill, perhaps she can help the shorter girl relax for the time being. It was a lovely day after all and exploring downtown would definitely be a great way to spend it. However, the mere thought of Akko enlightening Amanda about what happened last night didn’t help soothe Diana’s nerves. 

What if she had lied when questioned about her status with the athlete? She _was_ essentially cornered into answering it. Was it possible they were currently on a date? Maybe, _just maybe_ , she was indeed in a relationship with the wild haired girl, and that must have been why those comments made towards the American impacted her that much. 

 _Nonsense_. She could tell she was being genuine during the argument. She was simply defending a friend… something Diana should have done as well. She made it clear she wasn’t attracted to girls and that is that. 

Diana pursed her lips. _And why_ is it that she is still hung up on that fact? There certainly wasn’t a reason for her to desire otherwise. She only valued the enthusiastic girl’s company. It was rare for people her age to be as passionate as her about her interests, and it was a truly refreshing trait. Maybe it was the way she committed herself to her pieces in art class, or the way she expressed her admiration for Chariot--sure she refused to forgive the former world renowned artist for what she had done, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate how much respect the brunette had for her. 

The blonde flushed ever so slightly as she recalled how the shorter girl would light up when she talked about her idol. The way her crimson eyes seemed to glisten as she beamed. She could only relate this feeling of adoration for the girl to two other occasions in her life, but surely _that_ wasn’t it. 

Maybe this was just how it felt to have a genuine friend? 

Diana opened her eyes as she noticed something had come into view to block out the sunlight. As though on cue, Andrew was standing in front of her. Much like Diana, he was dressed in the Luna Nova uniform, most likely due to the same reason she was, as they had a student council meeting in about an hour. 

“What is it?” Diana said in a harsher tone than she expected. _She really has to work on that_.

Andrew, the smug arse he was, grinned and took the empty seat beside her. “How do you do, Diana? You don’t look too happy.”

Diana rolled her eyes. _Clearly_ she was in a bad mood.

“But I mean, you always do,'' he added with a smirk. 

Diana huffed in annoyance. She didn’t have the time to deal with the heir’s behaviour, until she glanced over to see his smile fade away as he took on a more… sincere expression.

“As of recently. I see you’ve been enjoying Akko’s company. How come she rushed away from you like that?”

Diana blinked. “You witnessed that?” 

“Of course. That’s rather unusual of her. Up until now, she always seemed to lighten up whenever she saw you. You ever notice that?” 

Turning her attention to her hands in her lap, she couldn’t help but feel her cheeks warm up at that statement. She was accustomed to most people _glorifying_ the ground she walks on--well, maybe there would be a few people here and there snarling at the sight of her, but somehow she Akko’s opinion on her was significant. She refused to reply to Andrew, especially with his knowing smirk returning as he nudged her side.

“But really,” he took on a serious manner once again, “What did you do to make her avoid you like that?”

Diana sighed, “We were working on the art assignment in my dorm when Barbara and Hannah interrupted and said some rather insulting things regarding her and her friend…” She looked to the side. “Unfortunately, I was incapable of stopping them from doing so.”

Andrew nodded, “Classic. Why couldn’t you?” 

She bit her lip and quickly turned on the bench to check if there was anyone closeby. She spoke softly, worried someone may overhear. “They called Amanda… the _d_ word—stop smiling and be serious, it’s not _dick_ , you are well aware of what word I’m referring to,” she snapped, although in a more playful manner rather than annoyed.

On the verge of laughter, Andrew nodded once again and gestured for her to continue.

“However, that was only the beginning. They began to argue that Amanda does not belong in the academy and made a _ridiculous_ insult about Akko’s financial situation,” Diana scowled as she recollected the event, “Then they had the _audacity_ to spew false statements regarding the reasons as to why I choose to hang out with her!”

She ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated, “They claimed I only befriended her out of pity!”

Andrew leaned back in his position and rested his arm on the bench, just behind Diana. “And you didn’t correct them?”

Slowly retracting her arms, Diana found herself caught off guard as she looked over at him. “I-... didn’t… pardon me?”

“You didn’t correct them?”, Andrew repeated, “And tell Akko the truth?” 

Diana stared at him for a moment, then quickly turned her attention to her hands again, shaking her head. “I couldn’t. I suppose I felt… too overwhelmed to do so?”

“Diana, you’ve been in heated arguments before. You’ve _sworn_ at Chloé once,” Andrew pointed out, then raised an eyebrow, “So… why did you seem so frozen up about it?”

The blonde took a deep breath as she contemplated the answer to his question. “I… I’m not quite sure. Perhaps I just… prefer to not lose them as friends. I have you, I acknowledge that,” she turned to him with a subtle smile, “However, I’ve known them for so long. Unlike many people, they befriended me for the sake of making friends—granted, we were only children at that time, but…” Diana trailed off.

Andrew looked at her for a moment before turning his attention forward to gaze at the street in front of them.

 “I think I get it. They weren’t all that influenced by your title and stuff like that, correct?”

Diana nodded and clenched her fists in her lap, “I know, it’s incredibly dense of me.”

Andrew shook his head, “Hey, that’s completely understandable. Honestly? I shouldn’t be one to speak, considering I’ve never stood up to my own father…”

“I suppose we’re on the same boat, seeing as I’ve never confronted Aunt Daryl as well.”

Chuckling softly, he grinned, “She’s horrifying, so I get that as well.”

Diana suppressed a small laugh. The two sat in silence for a short moment. It was moments like this that Diana was reminded of how much she valued her friendship with the heir. He turned to her, then placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly at her. She returned it, until his smile immediately faded away as his eyes went wide while looking over her.

Raising an eyebrow, Diana peered behind them to discover a small group of girls nearby, watching the two of them as they waited for the bus. She pursed her lips as she faced Andrew again, before slowly shifting to the opposite side of the bench, away from him. _Ah, no wonder why a lot of students either shipped them or assumed they were dating._

Andrew cleared his throat once the girls looked away, “But Diana, you’ve gotta talk them down when they’re being crappy towards others. If they’re really your friends… and I mean _really,_ they’d respect your wishes. And I don’t mean this in, like, an offensive way or anything, but they seem pretty toxic.”

Diana’s been told that before. She knew that her friendship with her two roommates had altered over the years, and they were certainly not the same girls they were prior to attending Luna Nova Academy. 

“If they’re making this big of an impact, to others and yourself, you might have to consider…” Andrew didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t really have to. And Diana knew this. However, it was hard enough to say out loud, let alone _actually_ dissociating with them. 

Again, they _were_ her childhood friends. And the very thought of losing them scared her. She’s lost one already growing up, as a result of expressing her _true_ self. And she was terrified of the thought of having to _start all over_ with others who knew little compared to Barbara and Hannah about her past. 

Worried, Diana bit her lip as she began to lose herself in her thoughts.She glanced over at Andrew, who was looking back at her as well. He offered her a look of genuine concern, and when sapphire eyes met emerald greens, she began to feel at ease. 

Diana nodded one last time. “Thank you… Andrew. For everything.”

“No problem,” he looked at the street. “And just know, I’ll be by your side through whatever. I know I can be a total arse at times, but I care about you like you’re my sister, alright?” 

The blonde smiled, and she had never felt so grateful to have Andrew as a friend. Though they tend to bicker at times, she truly appreciated his company. It was quite unfortunate he put on a dispassionate demeanour around others. Though it was clear his intentions were never to upset anyone when he dismisses them. It was most likely due to the fact he’s been accused of leading girls on. Sad how some acts of kindness can get misinterpreted as attempts at flirtation. It was nice to see him get along with Akko though. He really does deserve some praise for his personality rather than his appearance or status.

Andrew interrupted her thoughts as he raised an eyebrow and smiled sheepishly, before gesturing to the group behind them. “But uh… perhaps should get back inside. I’m pretty sure one of those sophomore girls just took a pic of us.” 

 _Ah. Excellent._ Diana huffed and glared at one of the girls holding up a phone. Caught red handed, the girl bashfully shoved her phone back into her pockets. 

“That’s a good idea,” Diana said as they got up from the bench and began to make their way back towards the academy.

Andrew glanced over to her as they walked. “Maybe give Akko a little bit of time. She can’t avoid you forever. And she’ll come to realize that you mean well. Honestly, I’d be pissed as well if I was in her position.”

Diana sighed, “Well, it was understandable.”

“Plus, you two _do_ sit together during art class, right? Not like she can switch with someone two weeks into class or anything.”

_Right. If anything, Akko was kind of stuck with her. Especially with their assignment. She might as well just work on her side of the piece and pass it to the brunette on Monday. Perhaps she can explain herself then._

* * *

 Monday, September 17, 2019

9:50AM EST

* * *

  _‘Not like she can switch with someone two weeks into class or anything’_

Diana imitated Andrew’s voice in her head almost mockingly, then glanced over to the seat beside her, who was occupied by none other than Louis Blackwell. They locked eyes for a moment and he winked at her. Diana rolled her eyes and groaned.

She narrowed her eyes as she turned her attention to the desks behind her, where Andrew _and Akko_ was seated. She was laughing. _What could she possibly be laughing about that's so funny?_ Andrew noticed, and he mouthed a quick apology, before turning back to the brunette and smiling. 

She furrowed her eyebrows as she watched them. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be working with the new girl? Bet you’ve been doing all the work, since you’re so talented,” Louis winked at her.

Diana huffed, and refused to turn back to him, “And aren’t you supposed to be working with Andrew?” She rebuked, annoyed.

Louis leaned into his seat and scoffed. “So what am I going to have to do to take you out? We’ve been at this since freshman year, might as well stop playing hard to get,” he leaned close, _too close for her liking_ , and smirked _,_ “Your new friend told me how much you wanted to sit with me, so there’s no point in trying to hide it.”

She stared blankly at him, unamused, then immediately stood up and made her way to Akko as she carried their piece.

_There was absolutely no way for them to work on the assignment like this. And she certainly wasn’t going to deal with this pain._

Akko was grinning wildly as she used hand gestures while talking to Andrew. He seemed amused, but at the same time, reasonably confused. Perhaps she was talking about Chariot? She’d know with that smile. But… _only because she was observant._

She came to a stop just beside Akko, whose back was turned to her in her seat as she was describing… was she describing one of Chariot’s videos? In the past, Diana didn’t watch much of her former idol’s Youtube videos, or focus too much on her cosplaying or fanart. If anything, it was her paintings and murals that caught the blonde’s eye, and from then on, she became interested in everything else Chariot involved herself with. 

Diana cleared her throat to gain her attention. Akko jolted slightly in surprise—Diana couldn’t help but be so fascinated with the way her short ponytail bobbed up and down at the sudden movement. 

When Akko’s expression turned cold when she noticed the blonde, Diana couldn’t help but freeze up.

“What is it?” She asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone. Diana frowned.

She took a sharp intake of breath, and glanced at Andrew, who patted at his seat, then stood up to make his way to Diana’s former empty stool beside Louis. 

Akko watched and gaped as though she was being betrayed. Hesitantly, Diana sat herself into the seat the heir left vacant. Immediately, the brunette made an attempt to pay her no mind by doodling into her sketchbook.

“I understand if you prefer to not speak to me…” Diana glanced over to the girl narrowing her eyes at her research workbook in front of her. “I understand I behaved unreasonably, and you are in no position to forgive me for everything that happened.”

Akko let out a sigh as she continued sketching. Diana bit her lip and slowly placed their assignment on the table. She continued speaking.

“I finished the line work over the weekend,'' she glanced over to the shorter girl, who was occupied with her research workbooks. “I don’t mind bringing it along with me after class to work on again, if that is what you desire.”

Akko shook her head, then tugged on the canvas. “No, I can start off on a bit of the base colours. And um, about that… did we think of the colour scheme?”

Diana was smiling, relieved that the girl wasn’t outright _ignoring_ her like she had all throughout English class. However, it immediately faded away when she realized they had not decided on the colours to use. 

“Perhaps we should get others to critique us?” She cleared her throat. “Preferably not Louis Blackwell though…” 

“Mm, right,” Akko said quietly. Though she might be speaking to the blonde, it was nowhere close to as passionate as the way she spoke before. 

“How come he didn’t bother sitting with you until I assured him you wanted him to?” The brunette asked.

“Ah, I may have told him to stay away from me in sophomore year.” Granted, he was— _is_ a creep. Always has been. He’d try to smooth talk his way into girls’ pants and shower them with compliments and praise. That is, unless he gets rejected. Hannah had turned him down _politely_ once and he called her a skank. It may have been the only time Diana has ever tolerated Amanda O’Neill’s antics, as she decked him right in the jaw. Diana couldn’t pinpoint whether the athlete had done so due to the fact she hated Louis, or to defend Hannah. Perhaps a bit of both? 

“So you tell everyone you don’t like to stay away from you?” Akko scoffed in disbelief.

“No, of course not!” She shook her head and said a little harsher than expected. 

Akko turned her attention to her research workbook once again, brows furrowed, “Whatever. Let’s just get some critiques done. How much do we need?” 

“At least 10 per workbook, but-,” Diana reached out to the brunette’s book, but she stood up and immediately made her way to talk to Blair and Mary.

The blonde sighed as she let her eyes  linger on the girl for a moment longer, then immediately tore her eyes away when Akko had glanced back for a moment. She shook her head and mentally reminded herself to not get distracted, before making her way towards Andrew. Thankfully, Louis, who _was_ beside him in her and Akko’s seats, was otherwise occupied with Chloé. Diana scrunched her nose as the two horribly flirted with one another. 

“Ah. Sorry about that. Akko and Louis swapped right when class started. I genuinely thought he was going to respect your wishes from last year,” Andrew said, turning the blonde’s attention away from the two _arseholes_.

She sat herself down beside him. “Well, I suppose I deserve this.”

Andrew shrugged, “At the very least, you two are doing significantly better than we are. We haven’t even sketched it onto the canvas yet.” 

“Oh,” Diana pursed her lips as she looked over to Andrew’s workbook. Of course, all his concepts had some sort of connection to pianos. “Would you be interested in critiquing one another’s pieces? I’m certain it would help us both,” she offered him a smile, trying to ignore the sound of Akko’s energetic voice across the room as she explained their piece passionately to their classmates. 

Andrew smiled back and nodded. The two then explained the intended meaning behind their pieces—Andrew having multiple ones on account of the fact that he had absolutely no idea which to choose. The two then expressed their opinion on the other’s work. While one offered the details they liked, as well as suggestions regarding their piece, the other jotted them down into a page of their respective research workbooks. 

Diana felt at ease when she received genuine criticism from other artists. The two were so accustomed to those around them practically _worshipping_ everything they create. Often enough, others wouldn’t answer as truthfully as they desired, making it quite difficult to know what to fix about their pieces. 

“Ah, so, on the topic of giving suggestions to fix up our pieces… what do you plan on doing about Akko?”

“Well, she is certainly not in the mood to be friendly. I suppose I’ll wait until she is more relaxed around me until I make Barbara and Hannah apologize to her. Hopefully by then she’ll forgive me.”

Diana watched as the brunette cheerfully gestured to her workbook, as she explained their concept, secretly wishing she was on the receiving end of her smile.

“If it makes you feel any better, at least this happened after you guys are established as partners? I mean, imagine you get stuck with Louis instead,” Andrew chuckled, but immediately stopped and cleared his throat once he noticed the blonde staring back at him with an unamused expression.

“But asides from that… I’m sure she’ll realize your intentions were never to hurt your feelings. I’ve known you basically my whole life and, well, it’s certainly no help that you can be a pain-“ He trailed off.

“Ah. Thanks.” 

“However,” he turned to her, taking on a warm demeanor, “I’ve come to acknowledge you as one of my favourite people.”

Diana smiled, then placed a hand on his arm. For _some reason_ , individuals of opposite genders were unable to express any such _platonic_ affection for one another without it being deemed as romantic. 

The ignorance of the others annoyed Diana as she retracted her hand once she became conscious of all the eyes on them. 

God she hated misunderstandings.

* * *

**Barbara Parker**

Birthday: ???

Grade: 11

Height: 5’5”

Programs: Drama and AP English

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Straight

Nationality: English 

Home: London, England

Likes: Andrew, Nightfall, Yaoi, Writing, Fanfictions

Dislikes: Public Transportation, Amanda, Akko

Fun Fact!: She probably follows Lotte on fanfiction.net/AO3 fkfkfk

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have stated this already, but I swear, Barabara will be redeemed,,, eventually…  
> AND ALSO!! I'm back in school, and I'm so,,,overwhelmed with my schoolwork and part time job ugh,,,I really want the next chap done as soon as I can, but I honestly haven't had much motivation to draw either. I promise, I'll try to get rid of this crappy artist/writer's block!!
> 
> But anyways, I really love reading your comments!!! Whether it’s a critique, theories/guessing what’s going to happen, or even something random, go wild!! 
> 
> If you’re interested, check out my discord server https://discord.gg/hmUmM3n !! I throw a lot of my sketches I don’t post, as well as my writing and art wips!! A lot of our convos have a crap ton of crackhead energy ngl,,, but I’d love to talk to some of you guys!


	9. Tapioca Pearls? What the f-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko hangs out with Amanda while she tries to avoid Diana, despite feeling guilty. Andrew encourages her to hear Diana out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry for the long wait!! And for repeating the same reasons for my apologies over and over again. It's so whack how overwhelming school is at the moment, and I have wayyy too many things going for me. And if you've noticed, I changed the rating from T to M. Despite,, being younger than 18, I realized some of the topics discussed, or I plan on adding, isn't really that appropriate and I'm kind of paranoid lmao.
> 
> Also, I realized this chapter, mUcH LiKe tHe LaSt, is pretty long, so I tried not to ramble in the final scene. Honestly, I'm a little afraid the ending was a bit rushed, but I really hope this made up for the long wait. Special thanks to https://archiveofourown.org/users/R5h for beta reading!!

Friday, September 15, 2018

6:54 PM EST

Akko

* * *

Akko paced back and forth in her dorm with her hand ruffling up her own bangs. 

She didn’t know whether to feel guilty for what she had told a certain blonde, or furious over how the whole situation had gone down. 

But then again… there wasn’t much of a reason for her to feel bad, was there? Diana _did_ stand by and watch as _her own friends_ insulted her and Amanda. I mean, yeah, sure, she tried to warn them a couple times, but after realizing that wasn’t gonna work, she basically just… gave up.

Was Akko not worth it? 

Well, according to her roommate, the blonde _pitied_ her. So, did that…? Make their entire “friendship” (was that even the proper term to refer to their relationship as? Had Diana even mentioned if they were ever friends?) all just bullshit? _Was Amanda right?_

She knew the time she spent with Diana was brief, but she genuinely enjoyed her company. Diana was different from everyone else. Not because she was _crazy_ rich, but… the blonde had a strange influence on Akko. After just two weeks, she wanted nothing but to strive to reach the same level as Diana. Was it jealousy? Maybe it was initially, but as of lately, it was out of admiration and admittedly, out of the desire to… impress her?

But… did that all just mean nothing to Diana?

_Of course not… she’s a Cavendish right? She wants nothing to do with you. She admitted herself, she prefers to be alone. Why else did she never let the other studetns swarm around her? It was only a matter of time before she dropped you anyways._

Akko wanted nothing but to shut her eyes and disappear. She threw herself into her bed and clutched onto a pillow as she buried her head in it. 

If Diana had let her teammates get away with all they said… did she feel the same way her roommates did too? 

Akko wiped a few tears off her cheek with her wrist.

Maybe she did. Maybe if Akko told the truth and admitted she—well, she wasn’t a lesbian, but she was still attracted to girls as well—Diana would be uncomfortable with that? After all, it had already happened before, so it was bound to happen again. 

The sound of a voice clearing their throat slightly startled Akko, and she looked up from her pillow.

“I take it things with Diana didn’t go too well?”

Akko glanced back and noticed Sucy sitting at her desk with the same cold demeanor she always had. _How did she not notice her?_ Akko wiped another tear and sniffled, before sitting up. 

“What do you want? Are you gonna tell me you told me so? Or that Amanda warned me?” 

Sucy slightly tilted her head to the side, then shook her head. What she said next took Akko aback. “I might act aloof and deadpan for, like, most of the time, but you should know you and Lotte are my friends. I’m not going to shit on you when you’re like this.” 

Sniffling again, Akko suppressed a small laugh. Though Sucy still spoke in a dispassionate manner, she truly sounded like she cared.

 She shifted her position on her bed to face Sucy. 

“Yeah…” Akko gave a weak chuckle. She then told Sucy everything that had happened. How she and Diana were genuinely enjoying each other’s company, up until her roommates arrived. 

Before she could continue, there was a sudden and aggressive knock on the door. The brunette immediately knew who was on the other side before they even spoke.

“Akko! I need to speak with you!” Diana frantically yelled from the opposite side. 

Akko looked at Sucy, whose attention was turned to the door. She shook her head and spoke quietly so only her roommate would hear: “I _really_ don’t want to talk to her right now…” 

Sucy turned to her, expression blank as always, and Akko looked back with pleading eyes, silently praying that the girl truly did care about her, or even had some sense of compassion. 

Slowly, the pink haired girl got up and made her way towards the door.

“S-Sucy!!! What are you doing?!” Akko yelled, before covering herself up in her covers. 

“Relax. I’m just going to tell her to fuck off,” she said, and although hesitant, Akko began to ease herself.

Akko sneaked a peek at the door, her bed covers wrapped around her as Sucy opened it. She couldn’t see anything, as her roommate blocked the majority of her view. That and Sucy only opened the door, like, a few centimetres.

Sucy barely gave the blonde a chance to talk. She interrupted her halfway through a sentence that Akko couldn’t hear. “The dumbass doesn’t want to talk to you,” was all she said before slamming the door shut. In all honesty, Akko thought that might have been a bit too harsh. But then again, it was Sucy. At least she was looking out for her? 

Sighing in relief, Akko threw her covers aside. “Thanks, Sucy… I really thought you were gonna betray me for a second there,” she said with a weak chuckle. 

Sucy sat onto her seat at her desk across from Akko, and stared blankly at her. “So, are you going to spend the rest of the year ignoring Diana?”

Akko blinked, then shifted to sit in a cross legged position on her bed. “I… I honestly have no idea. All I know is that… I don’t really want to see her right now.” 

“So, what? You’re going to avoid her the entire time you two are doing your project?” Sucy asked, and Akko could only shrug.

“I… I don’t know, Sucy. It’s just… _difficult_ , alright? I thought you didn’t like Diana anyways.” 

“Oh trust me, I don’t. But from the way you described it, Diana wasn’t exactly being homophobic. Just a bitch.”

“Well, she stood by and watched while her _friends_ were. I don’t really see a difference.”

“Hmm… I suppose I can see where you’re coming from. If I were you, I wouldn’t have bothered to interact with her in any way, since the beginning. But now that you’ve established some kind of friendship…” Sucy winced and shook her head. “I think you should hear her out eventually.”

“Eventually…” Akko repeated with a sigh. “It all just… happened so fast.,'' Sshe brushed a hand through her bangs and proceeded to rub her face before sinking into her bed. 

* * *

Saturday, September 16, 2018

12:47PM EST

* * *

The rest of the night went by in a blur. Lotte dropped by about an hour after Akko began sulking in her bed, completely oblivious to what had occurred. Rather than having Akko bawl over explaining the story… again, Sucy set her aside to get Lotte all caught up. 

Apparently Lotte had been at vocal rehearsal. It lasted about an hour after school. After that, she got caught up in the library, spending time writing fanfiction, until one of Andrew’s friends approached her. Felix? Akko couldn’t remember his name, especially since Lotte said it pretty quick, then brushed it to the side all flustered when Akko asked her to repeat. 

Lotte talked about how they had bonded over musicals. Although Akko was finally able to set aside the whole ordeal with Diana, was happy for her friend, she seemed to notice Sucy was a little more distant than usual. Sure, she tended to ignore Akko whenever she went off about a story, but her relationship with the Finnish girl was _significantly_ different. Maybe it was just the effect Lotte had on people, but Sucy actually paid attention to her. 

Lotte was probably about a minute or two into gushing over a particular blonde that, for once, _wasn’t_ Diana, when Akko noticed Sucy focusing on chemicals on her desk in beakers rather than on the conversation. Perhaps she felt a little drained, considering she _did_ listen to Akko’s rants and even found it in her heart to help her.

Nothing else really happened the rest of the night, though. Akko thought it would be best to block Diana on Iinstagram. For now. Why did she feel like she had to justify her reasons as to doing so?

Akko envisioned spending the next week avoiding Diana’s presence. She bit her lip. _It seems kind of bitchy._ Maybe she should hear her out? But then again…

She sighed, shuffled out of her bed and stretched before grabbing a casual outfit. She began to make her way to the floor’s shared washrooms, bringing along her shower supplies, thankful for the fact that only four other teams were in their hall. Fortunately, the washrooms were always empty whenever she decided to go. Then again, she often took her showers either late at night past curfew, or in the morning, literally five minutes before class started. Which, by the way, were the absolute best times to jam out songs she’d be too embarrassed to sing with others around.

 _What am I even supposed to do today?_ Akko thought as she stepped out of the shower, having already dressed inside (she would _never_ walk around in public with just a towel wrapped around her. She came up with too many humiliating scenarios and they haunted her). She tied back her damp hair into her usual small ponytail, then took out her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth. 

It wasn’t until she leaned real close to the mirror and bared her teeth as to make sure there wasn’t a piece of spinach or something still stuck or something, that she noticed a taller figure standing behind her. The reflection of the girl behind her in the mirror was barely comprehensible due to the fact it was all fogged up from her shower. But she could clearly tell who it was from the patch of red and orange visible.

“Dude, you were totally singing the theme song from Ponyo!” a familiar voice snickered behind her. 

Akko immediately straightened her back and stepped away from the mirror, before turning around to discover Amanda, smirking, wearing a white Supreme top and black basketball shorts. In all honesty, she’d seen the same outfit on guys a million times, and never really cared about them. But man, did Amanda make it work.

“I-I… I was not!” she retorted as she shoved the taller girl lightly. She furrowed her brows as her cheeks began to heat up in embarrassment at the realization she had been singing—no, _jamming out_ in the shower. Guess she was just used to the washrooms always being empty. Akko crossed her arms., “Even if I was, why’d you listen to me?! While I was showering?!”

Amanda smirked. Akko would’ve stayed flustered, especially at the sight of the taller girl in her PJs with _that_ look on her face, had she not continued to speak. “I was taking a long shit.”

“I—”, Akko sputtered as she raised her finger at an attempt to respond, before ultimately giving up and letting her arm fall back to her side. “I’m not even going to respond to that.”

Amanda shrugged. “We all do it. Nothin’ to be ashamed of. Bopping along _and_ knowing all the lyrics to a childhood movie? Now that’s an achievement.” 

Akko rolled her eyes playfully as she grabbed her washroom supplies. She nudged at the athlete’s shoulder and stuck out a tongue teasingly.  “Who knew you were a weeaboo?” Akko shook her head in disapproval. She started heading out of the washroom, with Amanda following behind.

“Hey, Ponyo is a _classic_ ! And everyone’s watched at least _one_ of those ‘gibble’ studio movies when they were little!” 

Akko snorted as she made her way towards her dorm. “You mean ‘Ghibli’?” As she arrived and returned her things, Amanda leaned against the doorframe of the room.

“Anyways, I heard about what happened last night with Diana. Apparently Hannah told Avery, and she told me,” Amanda said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Akko was in the middle of hiding her clothes laying around on the floor, either under her duvet cover on her bunk bed, or her desk’s chair, slightly embarrassed of the mess she had made. It took a second for her to process what Amanda had said, and she paused just as she was tucking in a pair of her pyjama shorts with corgis printed on them. “Yeah…” she muttered after wincing. 

“I promise I won’t say something shitty like ‘I told you so!’” Amanda quickly said, then took a step into the room. “I just didn’t think Hannah and Barbara would act like that in front of Diana.”

Akko turned to Amanda with a sigh. “It’s fine… it’s all in the past now., I just kind of want to forget about it already.”

“Already? You’re gonna forgive blondie so soon!?” Amanda said, a little too loud. 

“Of course not! I’m just…” Akko sighed and ran a hand through her bangs. “I’m not mad at her or anything… at least not as mad as I was last night.” She shrugged dejectedly as she made her way over to the taller girl. “I guess I’m just sad about how the whole thing went down. And I kind of want to distract myself for a bit if that’s okay.”

Amanda made an ‘o’ shape with her mouth, then clasped her hands together and rocked on her feet as she stood. “I should let you know, I kind of promised myself I’d stay away from flings from now on, so—”-“

With wide eyes and heated cheeks, Akko’s attention immediately went to Amanda. “Not like that! Gross! Not _that_ kind of distraction!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Amanda sighed in relief, then gestured towards the end of the hallway. “You wanna head out? Grab some ramen or something? We can go on an expedition again.”

Akko picked up her shoulder bag, then looked at Amanda with a smile. “I’d like that.”

* * *

Akko didn’t think she’d run into Diana at all that day. For the most part, she had wanted to stay cooped up inside and play some dating sims all day. She hadn’t expected to run into the Amanda, although her company was not at all welcome. If anything, she truly enjoyed her time with the athlete. Now to focus on getting away from a certain blonde…

After waiting for Amanda to get dressed, they started making their way to the bus stop. It was when they had just reached their destination that Akko heard Diana call her name. Thankfully, the bus had _just_ arrived. She Immediately turned to Amanda and tugged on her arm to pull her inside.

_Crisis avoided._

She slumped herself down into a seat with Amanda sitting beside her, then leaned against the window with a long sigh of relief. She watched as the bus went further and further away from a blonde who stood dejectedly at the bus stop.

“Jesus, I’ve never seen her so distressed about anything unrelated to school.,” Amanda chuckled at the sight. Akko couldn’t help but feel guilty. There’s no way Diana would want to be associated with her, though. So what was the point of Diana chasing her down?

“Akko?” Amanda softly shook on her shoulder.

“Hmm?” She looked away from the window and back at the athlete, “Sorry,  just thinking… do you think avoiding Diana is kinda…?”

“Bitchy? Ah, no doubt it is.” She snickered and leaned into her seat. “But she totally deserves it for what she and her Oompa Loompas get away with.”

Akko snorted at what she’d called them. “Oompa Loompas? What is that, those yellow things from Despicable Me?” 

Amanda’s chuckling came to an abrupt stop, and she looked over to the brunette as though Akkohad just spat on her. “Dude.”

“What?” Akko blinked as she smiled blissfully at the taller girl.

“I can’t even look at you. They’re the little orange guys from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!” Amanda threw her arms up. 

Akko perked up in her seat, “Oh! That weird movie where those kids died in that chocolate factory?”

Amanda stared back for a moment. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. “Did they really die? I don’t remember if that was clarified.”

“No, they totally did. That girl with the squirrels totally got rabies or something when they pulled her down in the hole.”

Amanda stared at the brunette for a moment, confused. “What? I don’t remember that? Was that with the spoiled rich girl?”

Akko nodded. “Pretty sure.”

“Didn’t she die because she wanted a goose that shit ‘good’ eggs or something?”

Akko paused,then furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to recall the scene. “That did _not_ happen in the movie!”

“Yes it did! I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but there definitely weren’t any squirrels!”

Akko quickly whipped out her phone and shoved it in the athlete’s face when she searched up images of the ‘Squirrel Scene’. 

“SEE? _SQUIRRELS.”_

Amanda pushed the shorter girl’s arm away and shoved her own phone in her face as well, shaking it rather aggressively in her hand. 

“GEESE.”

At this point, everyone on the bus turned their attention towards the two who were bickering. It was until they brought their phones to themselves and continued to scroll through images that they discovered there were actually two movies; _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,_ and _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory._

“Oh,” they muttered in unison. 

Amanda awkwardly shifted in her seat as she put her phone away, “I guess both happened… uh….” 

There was a beat of silence. Then Akko cleared her throat, “So Diana and the Oompa Loompas?”

“Right, Right.” Amanda suppressed a laugh, “I really only got a tiny bit of info on what happened. Avery said something about them talking crap about me? And you defended me?”

Akko nodded, and awkwardly rubbed at her shoulder. “Well, yeah, I mean, you’d do the same for me, right?”

Amanda grinned and nudged her shoulder against the shorter girl’s in a friendly manner. “Aw, that’s cheesy as fuck, man. Thanks.”

Akko chuckled, but her smile quickly faded away.The two sat in silence as she gazed out the window for a short moment. Then, she turned to the athlete and spoke softly, conscious that others may hear, “Y’know… I thought Canada… or at least _art schools_ , were more accepting of gay people.”

This caught Amanda’s attention. “What do you mean? Was that what Hannah and Barbara were going off about?” 

Akko hesitantly nodded. “Yeah…well, that and they were talking about how you don’t deserve to be here.” She played with her own fingers. “And Diana stood by and watched.” 

Amanda pulled up her leg onto her seat, then rested her arm on her knee, “Shit.” She seemed saddened upon hearing that. Which was understandable—honestly, who wouldn’t. For some reason, though, she’d expected Amanda to laugh it off and make fun of them. Or that she’d get angry and rant about how much they pissed her off. But she sat quietly, lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yeah. I’m really sorry,” Akko said softly.

Amanda shook her head, “No, don’t be. They’re the assholes here….” She glanced over at the brunette. “Did they say anything else?”

“Well, they asked if we were girlfriends,” Akko glanced to the side and blushed, slightly embarrassed. “Hannah said something pretty weird though, but I don’t remember how she phrased it.”

“Oh” was all Amanda could say about that. Again, they sat in silence for a moment. The bus announced another stop. Akko remembered there were about three more stops until they arrived at the station. 

“So…” Amanda set her leg back down and leaned forward as she glanced at the brunette. She spoke quietly. “You know I’m gay?” 

Akko looked at her and managed a small smile. “Yeah. I mean, I didn’t realize at first, but Lotte and Sucy helped me. Thinking back, it’s pretty obvious.”

Amanda blinked. “And you’re fine with that?”

“Of course! Why not?”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable….” Amanda rubbed at her arm.

“Because of some occasional friendly flirting?” Akko chuckled. 

There was a brief moment of silence. Then Amanda raised an eyebrow and curiously said, “So… you’re not into me?”

Akko _almost_ snorted. “God, no.”

“Thank fuck.” Amanda sighed in relief as she relaxed into her seat.

Akko blinked, then started pouting at the taller girl. “Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing! No offense but, like, I was lowkey scared I might have led you on or something.” Amanda grinned sheepishly.

Akko snorted, and she bumped her shoulders into Amanda’s. “How do you even know I’m gay?”

“I don’t. But you do seem pretty bi. And my gaydar is spot on.” 

“Nah, I’m actually pan.”

“So a spicy bi.”

Akko huffed. “Not the same thing and you know it.”

Amanda chuckled, then her expression turned serious as she looked to the side. “About that whole ‘art schools and Canada being more accepting to gay kids’ thing....” Once again, she was speaking quietly.

“Hmm?” Akko raised an eyebrow. 

“In all honesty, I totally think Luna Nova, no, _Toronto_ is a sanctuary compared to home.” 

Akko knit her brows as her mouth slightly gaped. “What do you mean by that?”

Amanda glanced around the bus. Although it was nowhere near as populated as it usually was during rush hours, there was still a fair amount of people within earshot. She turned to the brunette, offering a weak smile.

“Could I possibly tell you all about that when we grab a drink, or something?” Amanda smiled sheepishly as she gestured over a group of college-aged guys sitting nearby, who might as well have been eyeing Akko up.

Akko’s face flushed and she turned her attention to her Converses. 

* * *

The two sat themselves down at a table in a bubble tea shop. Apparently Amanda had _never_ tried boba. _Horrible, I know._ Akko had takenit upon herself to research the best bubble tea places downtown, right after their last outing together. 

“Koreatown,” Akko absentmindedly said out loud. “We’re in _Koreatown_ , but how come there’s some Japanese shops too?” She gestured towards a Japanese ramen restaurant just across the street. 

Amanda shrugged. “Beats me.” 

Akko shifted in her seat and fidgeted with her hand. She looked up at the athlete, who was stirring her taro bubble tea (recommended by self-proclaimed bubble tea expert, Akko) with her straw and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she stared at the drink.

“So…you never had any boba back home, huh?”

Amanda looked up from her drink, then leaned back into her seat with her arm resting on the table. 

“You want me to continue where I left off on the bus, don’t you?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“I mean, if it’s alright with you?” Akko nodded sheepishly, and Amanda groaned.

Amanda chuckled. “It’s fine, man, it’s not like I’m retelling a traumatizing story or some shit.” She continued to stir her drink. “Anyways, Toronto’s a damn dream compared to my hometown.” 

Akko took a sip of her taro bubble tea and nodded, urging the girl to continue.

“I mean,” Amanda paused as she licked her lips. She brushed her hair back with a hand. “Personally, I feel more.. accepted here, compared to when I lived in Texas.” 

“Oh… Texas?” Akko set her drink on the table.

“Don’t get me wrong! I bet some parts of Texas are pretty great, but the town I used to live in was conservative as fuck.”

“Oh…”, Akko uttered, before rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, if I had to be honest, I’d say the same too.” 

Amanda nodded, “Yeah, well, here I can essentially be gay as fuck—within reason, of course. I don’t want to shove my sexuality in some rando’s face, but at the same time, I’m not afraid to hit on girls who _I know for a fact_ are gay, ‘cause for the most part, no one around will care.”

“Mm…” The brunette nodded as she played with the straw on her drink. 

“Well, unless I was making a girl uncomfortable and someone steps in to get me to back off—not that I’d intentionally make a girl uncomfortable!” Amanda shook her hands in defense. 

Akko snorted. She contemplated what Amanda had just said, and her expression faltered. “Um… you said you feel more accepted here. Are you out to your family back home?”

Ananda looked at Akko, then glanced at the side with narrowed eyes. 

“No. At least… technically not.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean… I got outed by my older brother—who, by the way, is a total dickwad.”

“Oh.” Akko awkwardly took a sip from her bubble tea. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. Anyways, he ratted me out to my parents. Luckily enough, I had this friend back in Texas, Keith, who vouched for me,” Amanda smiled as she looked at her drink and suppressed a small laugh. “Somehow, we managed to convince my parents we were dating.”

“Oh. So… they didn’t suspect a thing?”

“In all honesty, my mom’s been suspecting it since I was twelve or something. But I guess they think I’m straight or some shit after my fake relationship.”

“What would’ve they done if they found out?” 

“Kick me out.”

“Oh.”

Amanda snorted. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I managed to get away with quite a few flings back in Texas. They don’t expect jack shit to happen during sleepovers.” She winked mischievously at the brunette.

Akko’s face flushed. “I couldn’t even get away with cuddling… how do you even…” Amanda chuckled at her reaction. 

“Anyways, I guess that’s why I tried so damn hard to get into Luna Nova. After winning a 100m dash in Nationals for Track and Field, Nelson was one of the scouts there that offered me a full ride. At first, I kinda laughed it off, until she mentioned how far it is from home.”

“I thought you got in through the dance program?”

“Oh, yeah, that too. I don’t know, I guess I like dancing, but it’s nothing to me compared to track, soccer, volleyball, or, well damn, any sport. But my parents wouldn’t let me take the offer unless I auditioned for the dance program.”

“Ah...yikes. Sorry about that.”

Amanda snorted. “Shit, man, you might as well already be Canadian, stop apologizing for everything.”

“Sorry!” Akko chuckled. “Sorry about that again… you can continue!” 

“I guess I should be lucky I’m not actually expelled like I deserve to be…” Amanda slouched in her seat as she picked up her drink. She brought it to her mouth and began to take a sip.

She spoke between slow sips of the taro bubble tea. “Honestly, I’m starting to see why Diana and her bitches want me gone, because—” Suddenly, she paused, then opened her mouth and let tapioca pearls pour out .

“What the fuck.”

Akko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Then, it hit her. _Amanda has never had any bubble tea before_. Akko couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto her face before bursting into laughter and burying her head in the table.

“Oh my God, you’ve never had tapioca before!”

“What the fuck are these little mother fuckers?” Amanda scrunched her nose as she pointed at the tapioca pearls that had landed on the table. 

“Just chew it, they’re good! They’re kinda like... gummies?” 

Amanda hummed, then took another sip, although a lot more careful this time. She curiously looked to the side as she drank, then chewed on a tapioca pearl she came across. “Mm… I mean, I guess they’re good? But what the shit is the point of these bubble fucks?”

“What do you mean?! They’re what makes bubble tea so good!” 

“Mm… you sure?” Amanda took another sip and chewed on a few more tapioca pearls.

Akko rolled her eyes with a smile, then watched as the athlete’s  expression slowly shifted to take on a more serious demeanor. 

“Y’know… I used to be friends with Diana, Barbara and Hannah.”

Akko nearly dropped her drink. She carefully set it down. “Wait, what? Seriously?”

Amanda nodded. “Yeah, back in sophomore year. But I guess I was closer to Hannah and Barbara. Diana kinda does her own thing most of the time.”

“So… they weren’t always mean?”

“No, they definitely always were. But we used to get along pretty well.”

Akko stirred her drink with her straw as she listened. “Hm… what happened with you guys?”

Amanda leaned back into her seat and rubbed at the back of her neck. “I don’t know. Everything seemed great between us until I got into a relationship.”

Akko gasped and nearly leaped out of her seat. “You dated someone?! In Luna Nova?!”

Amanda shrugged and took another sip of her drink. “I mean, yeah. It wasn’t really for long though. Maybe just for a month or two. You know the girl I mentioned earlier, Avery, right?”

Akko’s jaw dropped and she nearly knocked her bubble tea off the table. “SHE’S GAY?!”

“Shhh! Jesus!” Amanda furrowed her brows as she glanced around the store. Thankfully, it was just the two of them inside, aside from the cashiers. Actually, scratch that, the cashiers were looking their way too.

Shrinking back into her seat in embarrassment, Akko nodded. “She just doesn’t really seem to look like the gay type… “

Amanda snickered. “But anyways, we were a thing for a few days when Diana started… acting colder than usual. She’d give me these scowls from time to time, and she always looked irritated when Avery and I were together.” 

Akko knit her eyebrows together. “How come?”

Amanda snorted, “I like to joke about how she was jealous of Avery. But that totally wasn’t it. After that, Barbara found out about us and started treating me like shit from then on. Calling me a pervert and overall being homophobic as hell.”

The brunette winced, then gasped and leaned up from her position in the seat. “Wait… but aren’t Avery and Barbara friends or something? I’ve seen them walking in the halls together!” 

“They’ve been friends since they were little, I guess,” Amanda shrugged. “And I’ve talked to Avery about how much of a piece of shit Barbara is with all her homophobic comments, but she always defended her.” She rolled her eyes to the side as she took a sip of her bubble tea, and muttered while chewing on tapioca pearls, “Which is pretty bullshit if you ask me.” 

Amanda leaned back into her seat, brows knit together, “And then there was Hannah. I don’t know, she just… became so quiet around me. Avoided me. Stung like a bitch.” 

Akko slowly sipped her bubble tea, then set it on the table. “She ignored you just because you’re lesbian?” She scoffed.

“Meh,” Amanda sighed as she sunk into her seat. “I guess I should’ve at least come out or something before springing it on them so suddenly.”

Akko slammed her hands on the table. “Bullshark! If they were your friends, they wouldn’t have acted out like that just because of who you love!” 

Once again, they got looks from the workers, and the brunette chuckled nervously as she settled back down into her seat.

“Did you just say bullshark?” Amanda snorted, then shook her head. “But anyways, thanks for listening to my rant, man. I appreciate that, but you don’t have to get all sentimental. We were friends, but that’s all in the past, and quite frankly, I don’t really give a shit about what they think now.” 

Akko offered her a weak smile. “Well, if you say so.”

She couldn’t help but think about her friends from Japan that she’d left behind. The ones who ended up ghosting her and cutting her out of their lives after she came out. Whereas Amanda’s former ‘homophobic’ friends were in the same school as her, Akko didn’t have to see hers anymore, considering they were in an entirely different country. Yet, the athlete managed to move on from the whole ordeal. So why couldn’t she do the same?

“Hey, bro, you’re kinda zoning out. Sorry, I didn’t mean to tell you about my whole ass life story.”

Akko blinked and shook her head to set aside her thoughts. “Yeah, don’t worry about it!” She stifled a nervous laugh. “Besides, I’m glad you’re at least here. I probably would’ve spent the entire day cooped up in my dorm from that whole argument last night…”

Amanda flicked a tapioca pearl at the shorter girl, then snorted. “Don’t worry about it. Just… promise me you’ll watch out for the blue team, alright? I just… I don’t want you to go through the same thing as me.” 

Smiling fondly at the thought of Amanda looking out for her, Akko nodded and shook off the tapioca pearl that landed on her shoulder. “I’ll try my best not to do anything stupid.”

* * *

Thursday, September 20, 2018

3:58PM

* * *

It had been almost a week since the whole ordeal between Akko and the blue team. She’d come across Barbara and Hannah a couple times in the halls, though. If they weren’t smirking as they walked by, they’d be glaring daggers at her. All Akko could do is swallow nervously and increase the volume of her music.

Her encounters with Diana, however, were a whole other story. For the past few days, Akko had continued to avoid Diana. Sure, they worked on their project together for art class, which meant she’d have no choice but to interact with her, but she managed to make it work. During art class, though the two continued to sit together (thanks to the lack of stools. Some art school…), Akko always brought her trusty headphones and blasted her music throughout the process. She couldn’t pull the same thing she did on Monday. Avoiding her was one thing. Swapping seats and leaving her no choice but to sit with _Louis Blackwell_ was another. No way she was that cruel.

Thankfully, the two concluded that one of them must work on their research—which includeds writing the artist statement, providing reference photos in their workbooks, as well as getting critiques from their classmates, while the other continueds their painting during class. At the end of the day, they’d take turns bringing the painting back to their dorm. It was just Akko’s turn to work on it the day prior, and today happened to be Diana’s turn again.

This way, they could get their piece done without having to spend hours together, side by side… in close proximity. 

Akko rubbed at her neck nervously, and tried to set aside the little voice in her head that kept telling her how much she truly missed Diana. She would’ve gotten over it by now, but every time she managed to catch the girl in question looking at her, her sapphire eyes always appeared to be troubled. Full of regret? 

She’s mentioned this to Amanda during lunch, but the athlete set it aside, claiming, “It’s just her being worried about her reputation. If you went around talking about the shit that happened, she’d look bad, right?”

_Right… I guess._

Aside from having no choice but to interact with her due to their project, Akko was pretty surprised Diana hasn’t made any attempts to talk to her outside of it. Though she’d caught the blonde glimpsing at her a couple times during period one this week, she hadn’t spoken a word to her in English class. There was also this one time Akko was talking to Andrew as they worked on their pieces in the art studios after school, when Diana happened to walk in. She came over to the two and pulled Andrew away for a moment to discuss ‘student council business’, but she totally dismissed Akko. 

_Why is Diana so confusing? One day, she’s chasing you down while you get on a bus, the next, she’s pretending you don’t exist?_

Did she really not care about her after all?

“I want to talk about Diana.” 

She didn’t even know whether or not to be worried about the fact that Andrew asked to speak to her privately. Was her situation with Diana that obvious? Or were he and Diana really just that close? Maybe he was just… observant? Whatever it was, he definitely knew what was up between them. Especially since he brought Akko to the lakeside to avoid all the other students.

She leaned back into her bench with a dejected sigh.

“I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore, Andrew…” She sighed as she looked up to the sky.

Andrew, who was sitting beside her with his arms crossed, could only shrug.

Akko continued, “I mean, Amanda’s told me all these things about Diana. How they used to be friends, but some stuff happened. And I know there’s some stupid stuff people talk about in school which I totally don’t believe, but there _are_ still people who don’t like her, right? And she _did_ just stand by and watch as her own friends talked crap about Amanda and I!” She tried her best not to flail her hands around as she ranted, and hugged her arms to prevent them from doing so. “I don’t know what to do…”

“Want me to be honest?” 

Akko looked to the side and slowly nodded.

“What Diana did, or _didn’t do_ that night was incredibly stupid of her. Bloody hell, the fact that she’s friends with them is a horrible decision already. And you didn’t deserve to go through any of that.” He glanced at the brunette, who was chewing on her lip, before turning his attention to the view of the lake in front of them. 

“And yeah, Diana’s cold at times, and from afar, sometimes she seems like she doesn’t care about anything but ‘upholding the image of a Luna Nova student’, and I can understand why a lot of people are intimidated by her. But as someone who’s known her since we were little, Diana is a _good_ person.” He looked to Akko once again. “And I honestly doubt she’s homophobic.” 

Andrew continued as Akko glanced down at her hands. “I hope you don’t think my view on her is biased due to the fact that she’s my childhood friend. But even you should acknowledge by now that I don’t consider anyone with a horrid personality as a friend.”

Akko twiddled her thumbs. "Everyone’s just… giving me different opinions about her and at this point, I don’t know who or what to believe anymore.” 

Andrew leaned back into his seat with his arms crossed, not saying a word.

“N-No offense to you, of course! But everyone just seems so genuine about how they feel about her….”

“Why don’t you just talk to her yourself?” Andrew suddenly said as he shifted on the bench to turn to her. “Forgive me, but it’s quite ridiculous how much communication you two are lacking with one another. You managed to resolve your issues with your art project, but you haven’t talked about that night?”

Akko buried her face in her hands. “I know, I know, it’s really stupid!” She bit her lip as she brushed her bangs back. “But something similar to this happened back home and—and…” Akko’s voice broke. “I’d _really_ rather not talk about it.” 

Andrew turned his attention back to the lake. After a moment of silence, he nodded slowly. “I understand. But please… _talk to her._ She’s probably been wanting to apologize for everything that’s happened.”

“Yeah… alright.” Akko nodded as she stands up and takes a deep breath. “I should. Talk to her, I mean. I should go talk to her,” she turns to Andrew and smiles softly. “Thank you.”

* * *

Akko was breathless after sprinting all the way from the pathway on the lake. She crouched over, using the doorframe as support to refrain from toppling over, and took a deep breath before standing upright at the sound of the door opening up. As she stepped back with wide eyes, the blonde in front of her, with her hand still on the doorknob, seemed to match her expression.

“D-Diana!” Akko stammered, suddenly forgetting why she was there in the first place.

“I… Akko, wh-what are you… are you okay?” 

“Y-Yeah…” Akko sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m fine…Sorry, I was going to knock, but…” She trailed off as she looked to the side.

Diana blinked, and after a moment of silence, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat, “I… I apologize for being taken aback. I… it was clear you didn’t want to talk to me.” 

“Oh, right.” Akko shook her head and took a step back as she made an attempt to plaster on a displeased demeanor. “Y-Yeah!” She crossed her arms and tried to scowl at Diana. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened the last time I was here.”

Diana’s confused manner turned gloomy. She nodded slowly, and looked to the side. “If I must be honest… I’m just glad you’re talking to me now.”

Akko gulped, and her expression softened.

“Would you like to come inside? I wasn’t expecting any company, so it is a bit of a mess.”

Akko shook her head. “I’m fine out here. Um… thanks.” She took a moment to glance down at her shoes, before turning her attention back to the blonde. “For starters, I’m really _really_ sorry I kind of avoided you for the week—”

“Akko, please don’t apologize for that. It was completely understandable,” Diana interrupted. Akko could’ve sworn Diana’s hand shifted the moment she spoke. Almost as though she was going to make an attempt to reach out to place a hand on her shoulder. But she immediately dropped it by her side almost as quickly as she had risen it.

“No.” Once again, Akko shook her head. “I should’ve talked to you about this sooner. I was just being stupid. I… uh…” She took a deep breath.

“What your friends said about Amanda and I that day really got to me. And the fact that you didn’t stand up against them, after how close we’ve been getting, really _really_ hurt/” she looked up at Diana, searching through the melancholic sapphire eyes she’d been avoiding for over a week. She continued speaking, and Diana continued to listen.

“I know you know how _hard_ it was for me to settle in here in Canada, and I’m guessing you knew the same for Amanda too. And I get that you’re not cool with her, but why not just tell them to stop? To leave us alone? To stop being homophobic?” Akko’s voice _almost_ broke for a second. She tried her best to keep her breathing at a steady pace, but it was really hard to with how much her heart ached to see Diana looking back at her with guilt ridden eyes.

“And I don’t know what to think anymore. I get there’s stupid stuff some people say about you, but I heard you used to be friends with Amanda and now that’s all kind of a wreck, and all I keep thinking is… is that gonna happen to you and me?”

Diana opened her mouth for just a second, before biting her lip and allowing the shorter girl to go on.

“Did you even think of me as a friend before? 

“Of course I did… I do. You were always a friend to me, Akko…” Diana spoke softly.

The brunette sighed, “Then why did you stand by as your roommates made fun of me? Did you really just pity me the whole time? What happens if I end up doing something that’ll make you stop hanging out with me the same way you did with Amanda?” 

“Nothing you could do would ever make me want to set you aside, Akko, and you were always a _genuine_ friend to me.” Diana closed the door behind them and rubbed at her arm. “I just… can’t explain why I was unable to speak up, but I’m sorry for standing by while they said everything....”

Akko stifled a weak laugh, then frowned. “Guess that’s fair, since I can’t explain why I avoided you.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a moment. Then, Diana looked at the brunette.

“Did… Barbara and Hannah apologize to you?” 

“Pfft, no.” Akko almost snorted. “Lately, they’ve just been glaring at me whenever I see them in the halls.”

“Unbelievable,” Diana sighed as she ran a hand through her platinum blonde hair. “They are so immature.” 

Akko furrowed her brows in confusion.

“I had a talk with them on Monday and _demanded_ that they apologize to you. Please understand that I thought their behaviour was completely inappropriate. I really thought they were going to shape up and…”

Diana paused when she heard the door immediately swing open to reveal Barbara and Hannah inside the blonde’s dorm.

“Diana, why the hell is _she_ here?!” Hannah sneered at the shorter girl. Akko hesitantly stepped back.

“Why’d you even bother coming here? We thought you’d finally leave her alone,” Barbara huffed as she crossed her arms.

Akko opened her mouth to retort, but Diana stepped between the three of them.

“That is absolutely enough. I will no longer handle the two of you behaving like _arseholes_!” 

The brunette, as well as the two other blue team members, were frozen in shock.

“D-Diana,” Barbara stuttered.

“No, Barbara, I told you two to apologize to her! Why am I not surprised you disregarded that as well?!”

Diana’s roommate gulped and stammered as she made an attempt to defend herself, but the blonde continued as she crossed her arms.

“I _watched_ as you two disrespected some of our classmates. I stood by for so long as you talked badly of others based on their something as simple as _appearances_ , social status, or sexuality.” She glanced at Akko, whose mouth was agape as she watched, then turned back to her roommates.

“But not anymore. I no longer care about you two being my childhood friends. From here on out, if I _ever_ discover any of you belittling _anyone_ , I will not hesitate to have our dorm arrangements altered and I will no longer speak to you. Are we clear?”

Barbara and Hannah nervously nodded and agreed, before turning to Akko.

“I’m really sorry… for everything, Akko,” Hannah said softly as she looked down dejectedly. _Man, Diana took quite a toll on her. The redhead looked up and met Akko’s eyes. “_ You can tell Amanda I take back what I said. It was stupid and childish of me.” 

 Barbara glimpsed at Diana, then back at the brunette and stammered, “M-Me too. I’m really sorry for acting so close minded. It was disgusting of me. We never meant to be homophobic.”

Hannah scoffed. “We? Technically, I never said anything about anyone’s sexuality that night.” 

And that was true. Akko remembered that. Hannah mainly just had it out for Amanda, and she couldn’t place a finger as to why. 

“Can you not, Han? I’m trying to apologize to her and you’re not helping,” Barbara huffed.

Akko shook her head, “No she’s right. You were the only one saying bad stuff about all of that…” She bit her lip before asking her next question: “Are you guys really… homophobic? Is there something about that kinda stuff that makes you uncomfortable? I know that supporting it is one thing, but _tolerating_ it is a whole other thing.” 

She glanced between the three girls standing in front of her. Diana blinked a couple times, Hannah shifted slightly as she stood, and Barbara’s brows immediately furrowed.

“H-Homophobic? That’s _ridiculous_ , it’s 2018, I can’t be! Avery is one of my closest friends and I’m fine with her!” Barbara declared as she crossed her arms.

Akko cringed and Diana pinched the bridge of her nose.

Hannah played with the bracelet on her wrist, “Trust me when I say, my anger at that time only went out to Amanda! LGBT stuff really doesn’t bother me, and I’d hate to make it seem like it does…”

Akko looked to the side and nodded. Though she had doubts about their responses, she thought it was best not to question it anymore, nor did she want to bring the topic up again in front of them. She turned her attention back to the blonde to apologize for asking such an unnecessary question in the first place. She knew the taller girl didn’t need to answer anyways. But Diana interrupted before she even had the chance to open her mouth.

“I can’t be homophobic,” Diana quickly said.

Akko blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t be homophobic because I’m gay.”

_Oh._

* * *

Chariot Du Nord 

Birthday: 02/20/91

Grade: Graduated

Height: 5’7”

Programs: Art 

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Lesbian 

Nationality: French

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Likes: Macarons, Astronomy, Acrylic Paint, Water Colour, HUION Tablets, Anime, FPS Games

Dislikes: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Public Transportation, Warm Weathers, People Who Look Down on Non-Traditional Art

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok yeah im so ready to finally write them being gay and shit. God, that was way too long,,, I'm going to make the next chapters shorter, maximum 4 or 5k?? That way, it hopefully won't take me a long ass time to update.
> 
> also also,,,  
> That whole conversation about Willy Wonka/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Based on an actual convo with my friend fdksfk


	10. Coming Out P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana comes out to her roommates and Akko and begins to feel self conscious with how she approaches the brunette, knowing she's fully aware of her sexuality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love all these new self insert fics with all my heart fdkf It's so cool how there's one about being a bomb technician and another about surfing in Hawaii, and then there's my crackhead self insert fic- 
> 
> Anyways, as always, sorry for the late update. Again. Especially after that last cliff hanger fkdkf  
> I hope everyone had a lovely new years and enjoyed the holidays!!
> 
> Special thanks to https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elska_Elu/profile for beta reading <3

Thursday, September 20, 2018

4:36PM EST 

Diana 

* * *

“I can’t be homophobic because I’m gay.”

Diana’s voice was firm. For a moment, even she convinced herself she was confident as she delivered that line. However, on the inside, _she was panicking._ She tried her best to maintain her composure as she observed the reactions of the three girls in front of her.

“Y-You… I… _What?”_ Akko squeaked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Diana.

Diana swallowed nervously, then she glanced at her roommates. The two of them were sputtering, no doubt trying to process what she had just said.

“I’m a lesbian,” she repeated, “I’m sorry… I should have been honest with you before.”

Akko blinked, then waved her hands in reassurance, “Y-You don’t have to apologize! H-Honestly, you didn’t even have to tell me that! I didn’t think you were homophobic!” she chuckled awkwardly.

“Wait so…” Barbara took a step closer to Diana as she whispered, “You’re gay?!” 

Diana quickly observed the end of the hallway, in case there were students close by. She turned back to the three girls and sighed. “May we take this inside?”

Barbara and Hannah nodded immediately headed inside their dorm. Akko followed behind hesitantly. Once they arrived, they all turned their attention to Diana.

“You’re GAY?!” Barbara said once again, but louder now that they’re no longer in the halls.

“All this time and you never bothered to tell us?” Hannah furrowed her brows.

Diana stammered, “I didn’t… I… I didn’t think…”

Barbara shook her head and interrupted her. “We’ve been your friends since we were little, Diana! Why wouldn’t you tell us something as important as this?” 

“I’m sorry! I just…” Diana ran a hand through her hair. Why hadn’t she? Perhaps none of this would have occurred if she told the truth earlier. Diana was lost in her thoughts, trying to find the proper words to justify her actions. Suddenly, she was pulled back into reality when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize for anything. I’m just really glad you let us know anyways,” Akko gave her a smile.

Diana looked back at her, the corner of her lips curling ever so slightly. She was tempted to place her own hand atop Akko’s. Of course, she didn’t.

“But you’ve been lying to us all this time!” Barbara sneered.

Diana furrowed her brows. It was bad enough that Barbara was so close minded, but Diana found it absolutely ridiculous she was being so insensitive about this whole situation. She opened her mouth to retort, but Akko intervened.

“Why are you making her feel more guilty?” Akko stepped in front of Diana.

Barbara scowled back at Akko. “I’m _not_ . I just would’ve appreciated some _honesty_. Wouldn’t you agree, Hannah?”

“I mean, we never asked her if she was gay…” Hannah glanced at Barbara, then turned her attention back to Diana. “But Barbara’s kind of right. I support you and all, but it would’ve been nice if you told us about this before…”

Akko shook her head, “Why should she?”

“Excuse me?” Barbara scoffed, “How many times do we have to remind you how close we were to Diana since we were little?”

Akko crossed her arms, “I heard you. But why should she have come out to you earlier? Why should she come out to you at all?! It’s her decision and nobody else’s!”

Diana smiled warmly at Akko.

“You should feel lucky she’s coming out at all, with how crappy you guys treat things if they’re different! Can you even imagine how nervous and _brave_ she even is to do it?”

“How _we_ treat people if they’re different?” Hannah raised an eyebrow. “You’re exaggerating.” 

“Exaggerating? Barbara thinks there’s nothing wrong with using _homophobic slurs_ . And you guys look down on people who get accepted into Luna Nova with scholarships! Some people can’t afford high class education like you guys are used to! And there’s _nothing_ wrong with that!”

“Those are merely just jokes, it’s not my fault if you take all that to heart,” Barbara rolled her eyes. 

Hannah shook her head, “You don’t understand. We share _everything_ with each other. You’ve only known Diana for less than a month, so who are you to talk?” 

Akko scoffed at their responses and opened her mouth to retort. That is until, Diana stepped forward.

“Akko is my _friend._ And I would very much appreciate it if you treated her with the utmost respect. As of recently, her friendship is significant to me.”

Diana glanced at Akko, whose mouth was slightly parted, and smiled softly. Diana had no idea where the sudden surge of confidence had come from. And she wasn’t complaining at all. All she knew was that she had to make up to Akko for not being able to stand up for her. 

Akko’s expression softened as she watched Diana. 

“We may have been friends throughout all those years, and I admittedly value our time together. However, that does _not_ mean I am obligated to tell you about _my_ sexuality,” Diana placed a hand on her hip as she looked down at her roommates, whose expressions faltered.

“However, I’ve given it a lot of thought. Ever since I was thirteen, I wanted nothing but to let you two know. Clearly, I never got the chance until now,” Diana sighed as she diminished her cold demeanor. “I’m sorry you two had to find out this way.” 

Barbara and Hannah were quiet. Hannah was twiddling her thumbs as she looked down at her feet. She looked up for a moment, and it was clear she was hesitating on a response. Ultimately, she set it aside as she lowered her head.

Diana continued, “Perhaps if you two, and especially you, Barbara, were more open minded and accepting of others, I would have done so already. So _do not_ be mad at me for not coming out until now.”

“Diana…” Barbara said softly, before turning to Akko as well. “Akko… I’m… I’m sorry. About everything. Nothing I can do can make up for anything I’ve done.” She looked like she was going to tear up.

Diana crossed her arms and watched as Hannah stepped forward.

“Me too… we were complete _arseholes_.”

Barbara nodded. “I accept you, Diana. Just… give me some time to get used to it, alright? I… I can’t forgive myself, knowing how bloody horrible I am with… that topic.” 

“I… It’s alright. I’m just glad none of you hate me, or anything. I wouldn’t know how to deal with that,” Diana suppressed a weak smile. 

Diana had done it. She finally came out and she felt at ease knowing she no longer had to deal with the stress of, well, suppressing it _._ Diana closed her eyes as she suppressed a weak chuckle and ran a hand through her hair.

“I only hope now that you all keep it to yourselves. I would prefer if the entire student body is unaware of my orientation,” she opened her eyes, which were now tearing up. She sniffed and wiped a tear with a thumb. 

“D-Diana… are you okay?” Akko asked softly, to which Diana responded with a sheepish nod.

“Everything is fine,” Diana reassured as she wiped another tear. She looked over to Barbara and Hannah, whose eyes were on the verge of tears as well.

Hannah quickly wrapped her arms around Diana and pulled her into a hug. “We’re really sorry, Diana! We didn’t mean to make you cry!” 

Barbara did the same and wrapped hers around both girls, burying her face in Diana’s shoulder. “We promise we won’t say a thing to anyone!” 

Diana sniffed and suppressed another weak laugh. “No, no,” she shook her head. Barbara and Hannah pulled away with brows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m… I’m _overjoyed._ You have no idea how long I’ve repressed this. It feels as though I’ve removed a significant amount of weight on my chest,” Diana smiled at the two, then turned her attention to Akko.

“I hope… we could still be friends?”

For a moment, Akko remained still with an indecipherable expression on her face. Had Diana raised her hopes too high? Perhaps Akko only came here because she wanted some closure. Just because she forgave her doesn’t mean she still wanted to be friends. Suddenly, Diana’s thoughts were interrupted when Akko pulled her into her arms. Diana could feel her heartbeat accelerate as Akko rested her chin on her shoulder. Diana stiffened her posture as her cheeks heated up. 

“Of course, dummy! Did you even have to ask?” Akko giggled. 

Diana smiled as she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Akko. She tried not to get lost in the peach scent and the warmth of her body against hers, and _oh Nines, the girl’s chest was practically pressed against hers-_

Akko pulled away, beaming, and Diana couldn’t help but feel at ease at such a sight. Should she tell her she missed her company? Or simply _her?_ Then, she glanced over to her roommates, who were awkwardly standing to the side, and cleared her throat.

She hoped Akko didn’t notice how flustered she was. It was just a hug, Hannah and Barbara had _just_ done the same moments ago, so why did it feel different with Akko? “Ah… thank you. I’m glad,” Diana gradually distanced herself from Akko and stood beside her roommates.

Akko nodded, then brushed a strand of her hair behind an ear. “A-Anyways, I’m really happy you told me all this. And that we can hang out again. I’d ask if you want to work on the painting tonight, but I promised Amanda I was gonna hang out with her, Jas and Conz, so uhh…” she trailed off as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Y-Yes, I understand. I would suggest we work on the piece in the weekend, but I’m quite busy. Perhaps you have time tomorrow?” Diana glanced over to her roommates with narrowed eyes. “Hopefully, we won’t be bothered again like last time.”  

“Again, we’re really sorry about that,” Hannah muttered, and Barbara lowered her head in shame. 

Akko chuckled sheepishly and nodded once again, “Works for me! I’ll see you tomorrow, Diana!,” she made her way to the door and turned to Diana’s roommates, “And uh, see you guys around! I hope we can set our differences aside!” And with that, she left.

Diana smiled as she looked towards the direction Akko had gone, and she couldn’t help but feel warm inside with what had just occurred. For a moment, she forgot she had company. 

“So… you’re gay?” Hannah brought Diana back to reality.

Diana’s attention immediately shifted to her roommates and she blinked. “Yes, we’ve established that.”

“So that means Andrew is single?” She smirked as she nudged at Diana’s side.

Diana rolled her eyes and suppressed a small laugh.

“But really, Diana, I’m happy for you. You should be proud,” Hannah smiled. 

Diana returned the smile, then it quickly faded away when she noticed how quiet Barbara had become. She cleared her throat, “If you have any questions about… well, all this, please do not be afraid to ask. Unless it’s, um, too personal? Or uncomfortable? Otherwise, I hope you two acknowledge that I would like to _remain_ in the closet.”

Hannah nodded, and Barbara looked to the side, before slowly nodding as well.

Diana sighed, before dismissing herself, stating that she has a lot of work to attend to. She tried her best not to think about Barbara and her lack of support. Diana found it completely ridiculous how much support her roommate expressed for _LGBT men_ , yet she has the audacity to feel uncomfortable around girls interested in girls? Sure, she’s fine with Avery, but there was a significant contrast between tolerance and acceptance. Nonetheless, she was glad that Barbara had enough respect to refrain from saying anything bigoted in front of Akko… again.

* * *

Friday, September 21st

9:50AM EST

* * *

Diana was overjoyed knowing the girl beside her was her usual, cheerful self as they worked on their piece together. Diana didn’t know how long she would have been able to handle Akko ignoring her. Not only that, but the fact that she didn’t allow Diana’s sexuality to make a difference in their friendship helped put her mind at ease. Even with all the assignments, tests and student council duties Diana has to attend to, Akko’s radiant smile was able to take her mind off all the stress. 

“Hey, Diana?” 

Diana’s thoughts came to a pause as she glanced up from her research workbook, only to be met with eyes that seemed to be glistening. Perhaps it was due to the lighting? Diana offered her a gentle smile.

“Yes, Akko?” 

“So I was looking at Tik Toks last night-“

Diana shook her head and stifled a laugh. It was as though Akko was never mad at her in the first place. 

“And this one totally reminded me of you!” Akko beamed as she handed her phone over to Diana, who watched in curiosity.

Diana raised an eyebrow and stifled a small laugh. “This is just a compilation of Tik Tok for British people, Akko. Did they remind you of me because of my accent?”

Akko pursed her lips as she turned her phone back to her and watched a few more seconds of the compilation. “Yeah, pretty much.” 

Diana rolled her eyes and smiled as she set her paintbrushes on the table in front of them. Akko had already set up an easel beside them for their canvas, and just brought over a palette to set their paint on. Diana’s attention turned back to her research workbook, not noticing the brunette still smiling at her.

“But you gotta admit, yours is cooler than theirs,” Akko nonchalantly said as she mixed two colours into her palette.

Diana blinked in confusion. “I apologize, my what?”

“Your accent! I don’t know if it’s just a _me_ thing but I think it’s really cool. Not as noticeable as the British accents in vids and shows you see all the time, but it’s still there and kinda subtle.” Akko’s eyes met hers as the corner of her lips curled up in a gentle smile. “I think it’s cute!”

Diana momentarily froze as she took a second to process what Akko had just said. She’s been told her accent’s appealing countless amount of times, but with Akko, it was different. Diana felt her cheeks turn the slightest shade of red as she brushed a strand of her hair behind an ear and glanced to the side. “Thank you… Akko.”

“Yeah, no problem! And now that I think about it…” Akko tapped her paintbrush against her cheek as she looked up in contemplation, “You and Andrew almost have the same kind of accent!”

_Ah. Of course._

Diana cleared her throat and looked back at their project. “I see. Well we both did grow up in England.”

“Yeah, but Hannah and Barbara have a kind of thicker accent, y’know?”

That was true. They’ve lived in England their entire lives up until now. Whereas Diana tended to travel between England, Scotland, Canada and even for a short while, France, thanks to her aunt. Diana glanced over at Akko with a nod, only to stare at her with wide eyes and stifle a laugh with a hand covering her mouth.

“Hm? What is it? What’s so funny?” Akko blinked in confusion.

Diana giggled, “You’re holding your brush wrong. There’s paint on your cheek.”

Akko raised an eyebrow and traced a finger over her cheek. She then looked at her hand, which had a bit of blue paint on it. “Oh, shoot… I thought I was tapping my cheek with the tip.” She chuckled sheepishly, before grabbing a napkin from the table and rubbing it at her cheeks, only making it worse. 

Diana shook her head. “Give me a moment,” she told Akko before quickly making her way to the sink to dampen a napkin, then back to their table. Without much thought, she began to dab at Akko’s cheek with the napkin to get rid of the paint mark. 

Akko stood perfectly still, and Diana was completely oblivious of the way Akko was staring at her with wide eyes and heated cheeks. She cleared her throat before whispering, “Uh… Diana?”

Diana paused, then immediately realized what she was doing, especially with the _significant_ lack of proximity between them. Diana instantly took a step back. “Sorry, sorry… I apologize, that was completely beneath me. I should have asked if it was alright to do so,” she stared back at Akko with wide eyes.

“No, it’s uh… it’s fine,” Akko chuckled sheepishly, “Um, is it all off?”

Turning back to Akko, Diana tried her best to maintain her cool. Gradually, she nodded and handed Akko a dry napkin. “Y-Yes, but your cheek is still wet.”

“Oh, right! Thanks!” Akko grinned rather blissfully as she took the napkin and rubbed at her face until it was dry.

Diana averted her eyes from Akko in an attempt to compose herself. That is, until she made eye contact with Andrew, who had a rather smug grin plastered on his face. Diana narrowed her eyes at him, before turning her attention back to their painting.

The two then worked on their painting for the rest of the period, while listening to music with Diana’s airpods. By the time class ended, they were finished with the sky background, so they were essentially halfway done their piece. Unfortunately, (or rather, fortunately given the circumstances that Diana would most likely stumble on her words?), they were too focused on painting to talk that much. And Diana was desperately hoping the silence wasn’t a result of her making Akko uncomfortable, especially with the fact that she knows Diana’s gay. 

Did Akko perhaps think Diana had ulterior motives while cleaning her face? Nines, Diana was going to make sure that from now on, she would _respect_ Akko’s personal space.

The rest of the school day went by rather quickly after the two agreed to meet up at Diana’s dorm after school. During lunch, Diana was _tempted_ to join Akko’s table. In the cafeteria. That is, until she thought too much about it. _One can’t simply confess they’re into girls, then sit with said girl that gave you the courage to do so, right?_ And why was it that Akko had that effect on her? 

When Diana arrived at her dorm, she felt a slight vibration in the pocket in her pocket. It was a DM from Akko.

 

_ atsuko.craigslist  _

_Hey Diana!!  I’m rlly srry to have to tell u this, but_

_can’t make it after school today :((_

_stuck in detention for sleeping in Badcock’s class (;_;)_

_Work on it next week??_

 

Diana sighed. Next week is going to be rather overwhelming with the abundance of student council meetings and workload she has to take on. Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be much time to work on their project until next weekend. Diana texted back:

 

**_The next time I’m able to work on it with you is on Saturday. Is that alright?_ **

 

Immediately, she got a response.

 

_atsuko.craigslist_

_Sure!! I won’t be busy ^^_

_Tho i thought u were this weekend :o_

 

Ah, perhaps she should be more specific. Diana continued typing.

 

**_Next Saturday…_ **

 

For a moment, Akko hadn’t responded. And then her “typing” indication showed up, then disappeared, and repeated for a couple times before Diana finally received another message.

 

_atsuko.craigslist_

_KFKFKFKGKFKGKFKGKGKGKKGKGKG_

_wHa?? (´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)_

 

Diana couldn’t help but snort. _What kind of emoticon is that?_ She typed out another reply with a frown..

 

**My apologies. At least we have time during class? It’s not due until next monday, so I’m sure we have enough time.**

 

Once again, Akko sent another message almost immediately, and Diana couldn’t help but feel some sort of… flutter in her stomach.

 

_atsuko.craigslist_

:(( yeahh but that means we dont get to hang out as much 

 

Diana stared at her phone with wide eyes, then proceeded to sit on her bed. She was about to type out a reply to Akko’s message, when she suddenly changed the subject.

 

_Sooo what r u busy with? :00 out of curiosity_

 

Diana began to type. Akko continued.

 

_ahhh srry srry its none of my business_

_u don’t have to tell me if u don’t wanna_

 

Diana smiled and shook her head.

 

**It’s absolutely alright. Unfortunately, there’s 2 student council meetings next week, as well as three tests I must prepare for.**

 

_Awwh :(( gl on them!! Knowing u, u’ll knock em dead!!!_

 

Biting her lip, Diana typed out a rather risky (in Diana’s standards) message. 

 

 **However… I would rather have spent my time** **~~with you~~.**

 

Scratch that. Delete, delete.

 

**However… I would have rather have spent my time painting. It’s much more enjoyable.**

 

Diana then typed out a quick goodbye, explaining that she must tend to her studies. Diana then laid on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Is this what it felt like to have a _genuine friend?_

* * *

Saturday, Sept 29

3:27PM EST

* * *

The entire week was absolutely _dreadful_. Diana had little to no sleep. How could she, with all her responsibilities and schoolwork? On Thursday night, due to the fact that she finished her AP biology assignment with only two hours left until she had to wake up, she might as well complete her math homework for the next day, just to stay ahead. It’s not like she was going to get much sleep anyways. 

At the very least, Akko had been messaging her more and more. Though it didn’t make up for their lack of time together outside of art class, she did rather enjoy all the silly videos the girl sent her. 

Diana was so relieved when Saturday finally, _finally_ arrived, and she can paint with Akko again. Although there wasn’t much left to do on their piece, it was quite tedious to have done. Despite having already completed about 50% of the piece the week before, working on the smaller detailed parts of the painting, such as the buildings and the people took a lot more effort and time. Thankfully, they managed to have completed painting the field and the clouds during their class time this week, and all they had left today were the kids, buildings, and of course, add the final details. 

When Akko arrived, they went straight to painting and decided to play Akko’s playlist in the background as they worked. Their music taste wasn’t all that different from on another, so Diana was content with the songs played. Although there were a few Japanese songs, Diana didn’t mind at all and insisted them to be played when Akko offered to skip them. 

They worked in silence for what seemed to be hours. However, when Diana glanced at the time on her phone, it had only been one.

Sure, she was focused on the piece, but it was difficult to concentrate with Akko less than a metre beside her. Was Akko perhaps as conscious as herself in regards to her sexuality? Is she trying not to get too close because of that? Before Diana could start over analyzing, Akko got her attention.

“Hey, Diana, can I talk to you about something?”

_Fuck._

Diana faked a smile and nodded. “Of course, what is it?”

Akko set her brush aside and began to twiddle her thumbs. “Well, I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I never really had the chance since the only time we saw each other were in class, but uh…” 

Diana gulped as she noticed Akko becoming progressively nervous. 

“Remember how you came out to us? 

Diana’s heart rate increased. But on the outside, she remained composed. She simply just nodded. “Yes.”

Akko rubbed the back of her neck. Diana gulped. 

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry…”

Diana blinked and turned to face Akko. “For what?”

“I don’t know? For… basically forcing you to come out?” Akko shrugged. “It’s been on my mind lately since at that time, I was kinda scolding Barbara for acting all homophobic, right? And then when I turned to you, you instantly went ‘I’m not homophobic’”, Akko chuckled nervously, then looked at her with apologetic eyes. “I didn’t mean to make you think I was going to accuse you of that. I’m sorry.”

Diana couldn’t help but smile at how considerate Akko was. “It’s quite alright. You didn’t force me to say anything. Believe me, it was my choice to come out. A last minute one, but it was my choice nonetheless. You have nothing to worry about.”

Akko hummed softly, then she picked up her brush and continued. “I’ve already said this before, but thanks again for trusting me enough to say that. How are uh… your teammates dealing with it?”

Diana sighed. “Barbara has been distant lately, but I’m sure she’s just trying to wrap her mind around it all.”

Akko shuffled in her stool and huffed, “Man, why does she have to be all weird about it?”

“Right? However, I can’t blame her. Her family is… conservative. To a significant extent. When her parents found out that her bond with Hannah was close enough for them to be able to take showers together, they were infuriated. They almost separated the two.”

“Th-...They take showers together?”

“Believe me, I have had a difficult time comprehending that as well,” Diana stifled a laugh as she glanced at Akko’s shocked expression through the corner of her eyes.

“Wow. I mean, I get that there’s a thing in Japan with public showers, but I never got used to all that. I still cover my eyes every single time,” Akko chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck.

Diana hummed as she tilted her head while concentrating on a small detail of a building she was currently painting. 

Akko cleared her throat after a moment of silence, “Hey, so um… do your parents know?”

Diana _nearly_ made the grave mistake of flicking her wrist, which _would have_ resulted in painting a red streak on the sky. Then, she leaned away from the canvas, still clutching onto the brush in her hand. 

 “My parents passed away when I was quite young…” she softly said, before slowly leaning back and working on the piece again.

“Oh. Sorry,” Akko managed to utter out as she turned her attention to her shoes. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know…”

Diana looked at her own shoes as well. “It’s quite alright. There’s no need to apologize.” 

“No,” Akko shook her head before turning to face Diana once again. “It’s not alright. I… I called you privileged the other day. That your life was charmed and _perfect.”_  

Diana opened her mouth to reassure her, but immediately shut it as she recalled the way her stomach twisted at her words that night. She would have made another attempt, but Akko had gone back to painting. And Diana knew if she tried to talk about her mom, she probably wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the piece.

* * *

There was just something so intimate about painting with someone. Even on your own, it was a relaxing enough activity to alleviate some stress, but being able to sit back and take comfort in the strokes of your brush with someone by your side somehow seemed… so much more significant.

Diana couldn’t tell whether or not it was because of Akko, or because she never opened her heart to others until as of recently. Ah, but then again, there’s Andrew. And he knew almost everything about Diana. _I suppose that isn’t it._

Thankfully, they’ve gone past the awkward silence and avoided the topic of families, or, well, anything that may be too personal. Diana could tell Akko was conscious with her words though. When the two had taken a break after two hours, she wasn’t as talkative as she always was. It was alright though. They spent a few more hours painting after that, and eventually grew past the silence. Akko told her about her old high school and how different her classmates were in Japan compared to now. 

For a moment, Diana felt guilty about their initial meeting, especially since it was the girl’s first day in a whole new country. But Akko’s reassuring smile and the way she described how thrilling each new experience in Canada has been for her put Diana’s mind at ease. In turn, Diana told her about her boarding school in England, and how significantly strict it was in comparison to Luna Nova. Diana began to describe her former classmates, when a certain memory came to mind. She frowned, and trailed off, but continued to paint. Akko noticed, but kept quiet, no doubt giving Diana the space she needed.

Before Diana could lose herself in her thoughts, Akko threw her hands into the air, accompanied by a very loud ‘Yes!’. It took Diana a moment to step away from their painting and observe it to realize they finally finished their piece.

“You’ve certainly done quite a remarkable job,” Diana turned to her with a smile, before setting her brush in a cup of water. 

“Me? Awh, c’mon, we worked on this together, it wouldn’t have looked as amazing as it does without you!” Akko beamed. She backed up to observe the piece as well, then collapsed backwards onto Diana’s couch and stretched. “Man, I never want to touch another paint brush ever again.”

Diana stifled a small laugh, and made her way to the couch and sit next to her. “Unfortunately for you, I believe we will be working on a large mural in groups for our next project.” 

Akko huffed and leaned into the couch with her arms crossed. “Seriously? Don’t get me wrong, I love painting but I just wanna take a break.” 

Diana hummed, then stood up to grab her phone in order to take a picture of their final product. 

Akko stretched again, still seated in Diana’s couch. “Y’know, you could use a break too.” 

Diana took a photo of their canvas, before glancing at Akko. “Yes, perhaps I do. Thankfully, it’s the end of the week.”

Akko’s grin grew slightly wider, “Exactly. And uh, tomorrow… Lotte, Sucy and I are hanging out with the green team to grab some ice cream and stroll around downtown,” she began to rub her neck as she looked to the side. “You can… come if you like?”

Diana blinked at her, and fought back a smile at how nervous the other girl looked. Who could say no to that?

“Or, uh…you can relax how you want, no pressure! We can always hang out outside of school another time!” Akko rambled, refusing to look at Diana.

Diana shook her head and smiled. “No no, of course I'll come, that sounds like fun. Thank you for inviting me.”

Akko turned to her and smiled sheepishly, “Really? Awesome! And uh, you can bring along Hannah and Barbara too. I really want to get to know them better.”

Diana raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Nope. I’m never sure,” Akko said with a blissful smile. Diana couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Very well, I’ll inform them about the outing.” 

“Great!” Akko sank back into the couch and shifted into a comfortable position. “Now what?” 

Diana hummed. They’d spent nearly 4 hours working on their painting together, and she honestly didn’t think ahead about what would come after they were done. Did Akko want to leave already? Did she want to stay and spend time with her? 

Admittedly, Diana was hoping it was the second option.

Diana turned at Akko, who seemed to be staring off towards her television. Diana followed her eyes and realized what had caught her attention.

“You have… a PS4?” Akko raised an eyebrow at her and suppressed a laugh.

Diana _could have_ made an excuse that she only used it for Netflix, or that it was Barbara or Hannah’s PS4. But no. She really did expose herself as an avid console gamer. 

Who knew Diana was going to spend the next few hours teaching Akko how to play Call of Duty zombies...

* * *

this is a self insert fic, what are you expecting? a good ending to each chapter? Decent writing? Pfft

** Jasminka Antonenko **

Birthday: 11/01/02

Grade: 11

Height: 5’5”

Programs: Vocal

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Pan

Nationality: Russia

Home: Moscow, Russia

Likes: Cooking, Baking, Singing, Potato Chips, Animals, Arm Wrestling, Sewing, Knitting, Snow

Dislikes: People who waste food, Being insecure about her appearance, People who judge her based on how she looks

Fun Fact! She’s an angel and I’m ready to dropkick anyone who says otherwise.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't think too much about Diana being a gamer. It was based on a dumb inside joke, and also,, lowkey a hint at a oneshot/multichap PS4!Diakko fic I've always wanted to write but I never had the motivation to execute it lmao 
> 
> Also nothing's more romantic than teaching ur future girlfriend how to not trade in your ray gun for a gun on the wall while fighting off zombies. 
> 
> I'm really self conscious on how I wrote this chap,, since it jumps from one event to another and aaaa I just really wanted to get it over with since the next chap has some acTUAL action. I didn't want to hold you guys up longer :((
> 
> btw if anyone's interested in joining my server, here's the link :0  
> https://discord.gg/u5mRhW9


	11. Downtown Expedition P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko, Diana and their group of friends go to a dessert place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i had this finished for a while, but I kept nitpicking at it, and ahhhh im sorry it has such an abrupt ending!! 
> 
> Anyways, it's my birthday today and the start of the second semester is on Monday fdkfkdkd

Thursday, Sept 20, 2018

5:22 PM EST

Akko

* * *

Never, in a million years, would Akko ever have thought Diana to be a lesbian. She didn’t want to base it all off stereotypes, but there was almost nothing that could have hinted at it. Sure, in the past few weeks she’s known her, she’s shown absolutely no interest in guys, nor has she ever talked about them. In all fairness, Akko just assumed she was too busy with schoolwork and other responsibilities to even  _ consider _ romance. 

Now that she thought about it, did Diana ever question about Akko’s sexuality? Oh God,  _ did she give off gay vibes?  _ If Lotte and Sucy had it all already figured out, there’s no way Diana wasn’t able to put two and two together. 

Ah. But then again, she  _ did  _ deny that she was a lesbian that one time. Although the way she said that definitely made it sound like she wasn’t into girls, period. Should she even tell Diana? It seems fair, considering she told her. 

Akko had a hunch Andrew knew about Diana too. It was quite funny to think about scenarios of the heir agreeing to go with Diana to events where bringing along a date is required. There’s absolutely  _ no _ doubt they’ve faked a relationship before, just to keep her sexuality a secret. She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

“What the hell are you even giggling about? You’re just staring off into space.”

Startled by the monotone voice of her roommate, Akko whirled around on her chair to face her. “S-Sucy!”

Sucy raised an eyebrow. “You literally said ‘hi’ to me when you walked in. There’s no way you forgot I was here.” 

Akko scrunched up her nose and huffed.

“Anyways, what’s up with you? You’ve been grinning at your blank laptop for twenty minutes. If you ask me, that looks creepy as shit.” 

“N-Nothing! It’s nothing. Just thinking about some stupid scenarios.” 

Sucy furrowed her brows, then slowly nodded. “I see. You’re definitely the type of person who imagines winning arguments in their head,” she said as she turned back to her computer. “I’m just gonna ignore you then, crackhead.” 

“I do NOT do that!” Okay. Maybe she does sometimes. But usually in the shower. She glanced at her laptop, then back to her roommate. “Hey Sucy?”

Sucy groaned, still focused on her computer’s screen. “What.”

“On a scale of one to ten, how gay do I look?”

Sucy slowly turned away from her monitor and looked at Akko, brows furrowed. Akko smiled sheepishly and Sucy sighed in defeat. “Alright, if I had to be honest, you looked pretty straight to me. It wasn’t until you whipped out your sketchbook with the pan flag that your gayness hit me.” 

Akko nearly fell off her chair. “Wait, seriously?!” 

“Yeah. The way you act can pass off as straight too. Your haircut’s pretty basic and so is your fashion sense. So I give you a three.”

Akko gasped as she glanced at her attire, then back at Sucy. “WH- My outfits are NOT basic!” 

“If you so say so.”

Akko huffed, then turned back to her laptop as she contemplated. After a moment, she slowly whirled back to face her roommate. “Hey Sucy, can I ask you a stupid question?”

“All your questions are stupid.” 

Akko rolled her eyes and ignored what Sucy said. “I know you’re asexual… but… have you ever liked someone?” 

Sucy looked back at Akko shortly, then turned back to her monitor, remaining quiet. Akko winced.

“Sorry, sorry—I know it’s not the same as aromantic, but you never exactly said if you were, and I’m soo sorry if this is too personal to ask, and you don’t have to ans-“

“If it’ll make you shut up, then I’m into girls.” 

Akko blinked, and her expression softened as she looked at her roommate. “What made you realize you were… ace?” 

“Same reason you had about being pan.” 

“Oh my God, you liked Chariot too?”

Sucy looked up from her laptop for a moment, “No, what the fuck, that’s gross.” She whirled around on her chair to face Akko. “I just… am. Do I really have to justify why?” 

“No, of course not!” 

Sucy sighed. “If you really want to know...” she learned forward in her seat, “Sex and all that stuff? It never had an appeal to me. No matter how hard I try.” Sucy shrugged, “I guess if I somehow managed to get myself a girlfriend, I’ll… y’know… if she’s interested. But I don’t really… feel the feelings.”

“Oh! Well, that’s cool. Totally valid.”

Sucy shrugged once again, before turning her attention back to her computer. 

“Hey, Sucy?” 

Sucy groaned in annoyance once again. “ _ What _ ?” 

Akko smiled. “Thanks for letting me know. You really are a big softie after all.” 

“Shut up.” 

Akko giggled, and although Sucy was facing away, she could clearly tell the other girl was holding back a smile.

“You’re welcome… but really, shut the fuck up. I need to focus.”

* * *

Sunday, Sept 30

1:24 PM EST

* * *

It totally slipped Akko’s mind to let the others know Diana was coming, let alone ask them if it was okay. Most of them were cool with it though. Amanda, on the other hand, didn’t seem to take it well. 

“Wanna explain why you thought inviting the brat team was a good idea?” Amanda huffed as she sat herself down on the bench.

Akko sighed. She glanced over to Amanda, who spent the past 10 minutes whining over Diana and her teammates coming. Akko pulled up the sleeves of her red maroon hoodie, and played with the cuffs of her jean shorts. “We all needed to loosen up a bit. It’s the end of the first month of school, and we really need it, y’know?” 

Amanda groaned and ran a hand through her hair. “Alright, but don’t blame me if they blow the whole day.”

Akko rolled her eyes. She gets that there’s been some tension between Amanda and Diana even before Akko. And it’s not like she didn’t understand why they couldn’t handle why they didn’t like each other. But… ever since the night Diana came out, all that’s been racing through her head is why  _ have  _ they  _ not  _ grown to like one another? And then her stomach turned.

Did they have some sort of history that Amanda never bothered to bring up? Did they… date too? Maybe that’s why they’re so hostile to each other. Akko looked over at Amanda curiously, and she looked back a her with furrowed eyebrows, confused. Akko shook her head to get that image out of her mind.

No, that can’t be it. Amanda doesn’t even know Diana’s gay too. And even if she did, they wouldn’t become a thing  _ just  _ because they have that one thing in common, right?

“Hey, Akko, you good?” Amanda brought her back to reality with a gentle nudge to her shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about inviting them. She’s your friend, so I totally get it.”

Akko blinked and shook her head once again. “No, no, it’s not that. I’m sorry I didn’t get to ask any of you guys about this.” 

Lotte sat walked over to Akko and placed a hand on Akko’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Akko. The more, the merrier right? Plus, this makes a really good opportunity to make up whatever problems any of us have with them.” She smiled.

“Don’t wanna interrupt, but can someone text one of them? Four busses already passed by and I don’t want to wait any longer,” Sucy said a deadpan manner. Lotte rolled her eyes jokingly and placed a hand on her shoulder as well, quietly telling her to loosen up a little. Akko could  _ swear  _ she saw Sucy gulp.

Sucy cleared her throat and shrugged Lotte’s hand away as she nodded towards the direction of the school, “Ah, speak of the devil.” 

Akko immediately turned her attention to a group of three heading towards the bus stop and found herself unable to hold back a smile.

Diana was wearing an olive green military jacket with a white v-neck tee, and light blue jeans. It took Akko aback as she realized she’s never seen her out of uniform. It was like she wasn’t  _ trying.  _ But she still looked amazing.

Diana greeted them with a smile, “Hi everyone,” she turned to Akko, who was making a big effort to  _ not  _ stare. “I apologize for being late, I was having a difficult time convincing these two not to change their mind.” 

Akko stifled a laugh, “You don’t have to apologize about that!” She turned to Hannah and Barbara standing behind Diana and smiled at them. “I’m really happy you two decided to show up!”

The two offered a weak smile, then Akko clapped her hands together.

“Alright, so before we get started, uh… guys, some of you know each other already, but this is Diana, Barbara and Hannah!” She gestured awkwardly towards them, then back to the group seated at the benches. “Hannah, Barbara, Diana, this is Constanze, Jasminka, Lotte, Sucy and Aman-“

Hannah scoffed and suppressed a chuckle. “There’s really no need for introductions.”

Amanda grinned rather smugly at her, causing the other girl to look another direction with her brows furrowed.

“A-Anyways,” Akko cleared her throat, then Diana approached her.

“Thanks again for inviting us. I apologize about the conflict between them. I can try to tell Hannah to…” She shrugged, trailing off.

Akko snickered, “Lighten up a little? I’ll do the same with Amanda. Thanks again for showing up. You, um, look really cool!” She bit her lip and winced internally. That didn’t sound like flirting… right? 

Diana’s expression softened, and Akko held her breath as icy blue eyes glanced over her own body. “And you don’t look so bad yourself. Although it’s eight degrees today. How are you out here with shorts?”

“Pssh,” Akko waved dismissively, “Trust me, I’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re going to be outside the whole day, right?” 

Diana rolled her eyes playfully. “Honestly, I would not be surprised if you insist on wearing shorts once it snows.” 

“Bet?” Akko smirked, and Diana shook her head with a smile.

“I haven’t left the dorm in anything other than the uniform since the semester began. It’s nice to be in civvies for once.” 

“Same, same,” Akko agreed, glancing at the others, then back at Diana. “Do you have any plans after going to the ice cream shop?” 

“Hm?”

Akko shrugged, then rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, “Well, Lotte and Sucy are heading off to Indigo after to buy a book Lotte likes that just came out. Kinda like a weird Twilight series? And I think Jasminka, Constanze and Amanda are going to get sushi? What about you?” 

Diana blinked, “Actually, I didn’t put too much thought about that. I had assumed we were all going to go somewhere else together afterwards. Where are you going?”

Akko shrugged once again and smiled sheepishly. “I don’t really know too much about the city. I’d join Lotte and Sucy but she could spend  _ hours _ reading her books in the store. I don’t know how Sucy can handle that,” she stifled a laugh as she glanced over to the two sitting on a bench, giggling at how Lotte was gushing about the book to other girl. Akko continued, turning her attention back to Diana, “And I’d join Amanda if I wasn’t so tired of sushi. I think I’ve had it for, like, four days in a row already.” 

“I see,” Diana said. She then glanced to the side and looked back at Akko. “Would you perhaps be interested in… exploring the city with me?”

Akko’s breath momentarily hitched and she nodded a bit too enthusiastically than she wanted. “Of course!” 

Diana smiled at her. Before she could continue to speak, Barbara cleared her throat. 

“So,” Barbara glanced at the group. “Where are we headed, anyways?” 

“Oh, we’re going to this ice cream shop that makes their cones out of taiyakis!” Lotte said, holding up a picture of the dessert on her phone. “It’s really good!”

“Have you guys had lunch already? If not, I packed some sandwiches in case anyone didn’t!” Jasminka chimed in, unzipping her backpack to reveal the food stashed inside.

Barbara raised an eyebrow at her, and Akko swallowed nervously, hoping she wasn’t going to say or do anything offensive to Jasminka. Then, Barbara smiled softly and took a sandwich. “Thank you, I’ll try this one out.”

_ Huh. Maybe this was a good idea after all. _

When the bus finally arrived, everyone sat in pairs near one another. Akko sat with Diana, Lotte with Sucy, Conz with Jas, Barbara with Hannah, and Amanda insisted it was okay for her to be the odd one out and sit behind Diana’s roommates.

Akko offered Diana an awkward smile, before turning to her phone and typing out a quick text to Amanda. 

**Hey óvò pls do me a favour and at least try to get along with the blue team?**

She glanced over to where Amanda was seated, and pursed her lips when she saw the athlete roll her eyes.

**Amanduhh ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ**

_ :p i’ll behave  _

_ but i’m not making any promises ;)  _

“Are you alright?” Diana asked Akko as she took her airpods out of her pocket.

Akko sighed and tucked her phone back in her pocket, “Yeah, I’m just really hoping I didn’t blow the whole day for Amanda.” She chuckled sheepishly, before widening her eyes and shaking her head frantically, “N-Not that you guys joining ruined the whole outing! It’s just that… I  _ know  _ you guys don’t really get along and it totally slipped my mind to ask her if it’s okay-“

Diana nudged her shoulder softly, causing Akko’s rambling to immediately stop. “It’s alright. I’m sure she’ll have fun today as well.”

Akko nodded with a weak smile and leaned against the window, looking outside. She remained like that for a few minutes, until she realized how often Diana has been shifting in her seat. 

“Uh… you good?” She turned to the girl in question.

Diana shook her head, “In all honesty, I  _ hate  _ public transportation.”

Akko snorted and raised an eyebrow. “You live in Toronto. Aren’t you supposed to be used to it?” 

Diana scrunched up her nose, “Be that as it may, it still doesn’t set aside how inconvenient it is.” 

“Argue with her all you want. She  _ always  _ chooses Uber over the TTC,” Hannah said across from them with a giggle.

“Well, I mean, she’s rich, so what does she have to lose?” Amanda replied with a smirk. 

Akko watched as Barbara and Hannah glance back at her with furrowed brows, clearly unamused. Amanda cleared her throat and looked out the window. At least she was making an effort.

“Hey, c’mon. It’s the journey that matters, right?” Akko nudged at Diana with her elbow. “Plus, the taiyaki place is only, like, eight stops away. We’ll be there in twenty minutes tops.” 

Opening her mouth to respond, Diana paused, then her expression softened as she shook her head. “Alright… but in the meantime…” she pulled out one of her airpods and offered it to Akko, who took it with a smile.

* * *

It was a  _ relief  _ they all arrived to the ice cream shop without arguments. For a moment, Akko could  _ swear  _ she saw Amanda and Hannah talking to one another as they walked to the dessert place. It was fairly brief, but at the very least, they weren’t being as antagonistic as Akko expected. It was a huge contrast to when they were barely able to look at one another at the start of the day.

“It… looks like a fish?” Hannah hesitated as she looked at her taiyaki ice cream.

“That’s the point,” Amanda chuckled as she ate a spoonful of her matcha ice cream. “Try it, it fucking slaps.” 

“Language,” Diana scowled. Everyone snickered and Diana rolled her eyes playfully.

It was nice. Seeing everyone get along. One minute, Hannah and Barbara we talking about Infinity War and moping over Peter Parker’s last lines, the next, everyone was bringing up memories from the past. 

Apparently Lotte didn’t let her parents rest until they read her the same bedtime story…  _ every night  _ until she was seven years old. Something about a Pigeon wanting to ride a bus? 

Amanda had a secret obsession with the movie Dirty Dancing.

And… Constanze hacked numerous accounts on Club Penguin when she was barely eight years old?

It was almost as though they were all friends. Like there was no conflict between anyone before. Needless to say, everyone was having a great time.

Akko glanced over and chuckled as Diana tried her ice cream. “It kinda matches your hair.” 

“Hm?” Confused, Diana raised an eyebrow and blinked at Akko...

“Matcha and vanilla,” Akko smiled sheepishly. “It kinda looks like your hair.”

“Oh?” Diana looked at her ice cream for a moment, brows furrowed.

“I meant that as a compliment. It, uh… it looks nice!” Akko quickly added, before shoving a spoonful of her own roasted matcha ice cream in her mouth. 

Thankfully, Barbara gestured towards Diana and giggled before she could respond. “Of course Diana would get the unicorn taiyaki!” 

Diana rolled her eyes playfully, before digging into her ice cream with a sooin.

“Did you guys know she’s, like, totally fixated with unicorns?” Hannah exclaimed with a grin.

“No!” Akko gasped dramatically, slamming a hand on the table. She turned to Diana, whose hand froze near her mouth as she held a spoonful of her ice cream,  _ clearly  _ getting flustered. “There’s no way!”

Barbara grinned at her. “Tell them about your whole collection, Diana!” 

“There is no collection to talk about!” Diana scowled at her roommates, before sinking into her seat with a huff.

“I bet you she’s one of those horse girls,” Amanda nudged at Constanze’s side with a smug grin. Constanze grunted in response, and let out a small snicker.

“Oh Diana is  _ such  _ a horse girl,” Hannah added with a shit-eating smile. 

Diana covered her face in embarrassment “Alright, enough about me!” She removed her hands with a sigh.  

“Wait, so Diana’s furry?” Sucy, who paid absolutely no attention to the whole conversation, asked in a deadpan manner. Everyone immediately grew quiet, then burst out laughing. Well, with an exception of Diana.

Amanda wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh my God, I can’t believe Diana’s a furry!” 

Akko turned to Diana, worried she may not be having as good of a time as everyone else. That is, until she began to laugh as well.

Eventually, everyone fell into a brief silence as they ate their desserts. Although Barbara and Hannah were talking to one another at the side, everyone else remained quiet. 

“So,” Akko began as she cleared her throat. She looked up at Diana, then glanced around at the others as they laid their eyes on her, “How’s everyone so far? It’s only been a month, but…” Akko trailed off as she took a bite out of her taiyaki. 

“Seeing as this is my first outing since summer,” Diana wiped her hands with a napkin as she spoke, “I’m quite enjoying it so far. So long as we set aside all the furry jokes.” 

“You never clarified if you weren’t,” Amanda smirked.

“ _ I’m not _ ,” Diana scowled at Amanda, crumpled up the napkin in her hand, then regained her composure once she turned back to Akko.

“I haven’t been outside until now. Mm, well, and that time we went to Lotte’s cafe too,” Sucy said, glancing over to Lotte. “I don’t even know why Akko’s here, she’s got a crap ton of stuff to catch up.” 

“Hey!” Akko pouted. “I actually finished all my math last night! I didn’t understand a single thing, but I still finished!”

“God, don’t even get started on math. Functions got me brain dead, I already want to drop the fuck out,” Amanda grumbled.

Lotte chuckled weakly, “Yeah, honestly? Tenth grade was so much easier. I’m always so drained by my workload.”

Constanze agreed as she nodded, letting out a subtle grunt as well.

“Y’know you wouldn’t be complaining if you actually studied,” Hannah huffed. She was glaring at Amanda, and Akko furrowed her brows as to why she suddenly seemed upset. Everyone’s smile seemed to have faded away as well with how sour Hannah’s tone sounded.

Amanda scoffed. “I try! Even  _ you  _ should know how little time I have!” 

“How little time you have?” Hannah stifled a sarcastic laugh and shook her head. “The day before your math test, you were literally out the whole day.” 

Amanda cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “And you knew that how? Someone’s been stalking me.” 

Hannah sputtered, and Akko could swear she saw her cheeks turn the slightest shade of red. “You were posting about it on instagram!”

“Cons and I went to the Reference library downtown to study. She’s basically a God at math. And why do you care? I thought you unfollowed me.” 

Hannah scrunched up her nose, “I guess I forgot to.” 

Amanda rolled her eyebrows and got up from her seat, “Whatever. I’m grabbing a taiyaki to bring home, I’ll be back.” 

Hannah huffed and took her phone out, looking to the side to avoid making eye contact with Amanda.

Akko awkwardly chuckled. She was worried they’d start a full blown argument in front of everyone. What did Amanda even do to get Hannah all worked up like that? “So, anyways… do you guys have any plans after this?”

Barbara glanced at Hannah, then shrugged, “I didn’t even expect to come today. But now that I think about it, I’m probably gonna head over to Indigo’s since there’s this book I’m interested in that just got released.” She looked down at her phone. “Damn, got to be fast too, since there’s only two copies left.”

Almost immediately, Lotte slammed her hands on the table, “No way! Are you referring to the Night Fall series?! Volume 365?!”

Barbara gasped. “Shut up! I am!”

Lotte shrieked in excitement, “Sucy and I are headed there after! You can come with us!”

“No way! You sure we won’t be a burden?”

“Most definitely not!” 

“You coming too, Han?” Barbara asked Hannah, who just finished her dessert.

Hannah shook her head, “I might just call it a day after this. It takes forever for you to finish up with your Night Fall stuff, no offense.” Barbara and Lotte giggled an Hannah stood. “I’ll be right back, just heading to the washroom.” 

“Alright,” Barbara then turned back to Lotte and they continued gushing about the series. 

Akko snickered and smiled at the two, then glanced over to Diana, who was smiling back at her. 

_ Yep, this was a good idea. _

* * *

After about half an hour, everyone started getting ready to leave the dessert place. Their time there mostly consisted of conversations between Barbara and Lotte talking about Night Fall, Amanda, Constanze and Jasminka playing Pokemon Go, and Akko and Diana talking about their favourite cartoons and anime. Who knew an aristocrat like her watched the entirety of  _ Naruto _ ? In all honesty, Akko hasn’t even watched the first episode.

For the rest of their time, after Amanda had returned from buying more taiyakis, and Hannah from the washroom, the two completely avoided one another. Akko couldn’t help but wonder why. She’d make sure to ask Amanda about it later.

When they finally settled into their seats on the streetcar, Akko glanced back to their other friends, then turned to Diana, who was seated beside her.

“Hey… I kinda get the feeling that we forgot something.” 

“Hm? Do you have your phone?”

Akko checked her pockets and sighed in relief when she felt her phone. “Yeah, it’s here.”

“Mm…wallet?” 

Another check. “Yep. Got that too. Maybe I’m just… imagining things.”

Diana smiled and leaned back into her seat. “Perhaps…”

Akko paused for a moment, then she looked out the window, towards the stop the streetcar was just leaving. And then it hit her.

“Kuso.”

Diana turned to her with an eyebrow raised.

“Hannah and Amanda. They’re still at the stop.” 

* * *

Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger 

Birthday: 10/12/02

Grade: 11

Height: 5’0”

Programs: Instrumental, AP Physics, Math

Romantic/Sexual Orientation: Aroace

Nationality: German

Home: Vaughan, Ontario

Likes: Robotics, Programming, Physics, Math, GTA V, First Person Shooters,  _ Revolution, _ Ice Cream, Spicy Food

Dislikes: The Cold, Snow, English Class, PDA, Romance, Talking

Fun Fact!: Constanze made a minecraft server for Luna Nova Academy, and constantly used hacks when she plays it to mess with people.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;00 Diana and Akko aren't the only POV's in this fic hehehe,,,
> 
> Also, I appreciate all comments ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡


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